STS-120: NASA and ESA Press Releases

[jacqmans]

MEDIA ADVISORY: 07-114

NASA SETS MEDIA ACCREDITATION DEADLINES FOR NEXT SHUTTLE MISSION

WASHINGTON - NASA is accepting media accreditation requests for the
upcoming space shuttle mission, STS-120. Shuttle Discovery is
targeted to launch Oct. 23 to begin a 13-day mission to the
International Space Station.

All U.S. and international media must apply for credentials to attend
the shuttle launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida or to
cover the mission from other NASA centers. To be accredited, media
must work for legitimate, verifiable news-gathering organizations.
Reporters may need to submit requests for credentials at multiple
NASA facilities.

Additional time may be required to process requests by journalists
from certain countries. Designated countries include those with which
the United States has no diplomatic relations, those on the State
Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism, those under U.S.
sanction or embargo or those which raise proliferation concerns.
Please contact the accrediting NASA center for details. Journalists
should confirm they have been accredited before they travel.

No substitutions of credentials are allowed at any NASA facility. If
the STS-120 launch is delayed, the deadline for domestic media may be
extended on a day-by-day basis.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER
Media applying for credentials at Kennedy should submit requests via
the Web at https://media.ksc.nasa.gov. Media must use work e-mail
addresses, not personal accounts, when applying. Once accreditation
is approved, applicants will receive confirmation via e-mail.

Accredited media with mission badges will have access from launch
through the end of the mission. Application deadlines for mission
badges for are Oct. 12 for U.S. media and Oct. 8 for foreign media.
Access requests must be submitted separately for the Sept. 27 rollout
to the launch pad and the launch dress rehearsal activities, known as
the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, on Oct. 7-10.

Media with special logistic requests for Kennedy Space Center, such as
space for satellite trucks, trailers, electrical connections or work
space, must contact Laurel Lichtenberger at
[email protected] by Oct. 16.

Work space in the NASA News Center and the News Center Annex is
provided on a first-come basis - one space per organization. To set
up temporary telephone, fax, ISDN or network lines, media must make
arrangements with BellSouth at 800-213-4988. Media must have an
assigned seat in the Kennedy newsroom prior to setting up lines. To
obtain an assigned seat, contact Patricia Christian at
[email protected]. Media must have a public affairs escort
to any other Kennedy area except the Launch Complex 39 cafeteria.

Kennedy credentials also will be honored during the STS-120 mission at
NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, and NASA's Dryden Flight
Research Center, Edwards, Calif. Media must contact Dryden public
affairs for access to Edwards Air Force Base.

JOHNSON SPACE CENTER
Media may obtain Johnson Space Flight Center credentials by calling
the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 or by presenting Kennedy STS-120
mission credentials. Media planning to cover the mission only from
Johnson need to apply for credentials only at Johnson. Deadlines for
submitting Johnson accreditation requests are Sept. 27 for non-U.S.
media, regardless of citizenship, and Oct. 17 for U.S. media who are
U.S. citizens.

Media covering the mission from Johnson using Kennedy credentials must
contact the Johnson newsroom by Oct. 17 to arrange work space, phone
lines and other logistics. Johnson is responsible for credentialing
media if the shuttle lands at White Sands Space Harbor, N.M. If a
landing is imminent at White Sands, Johnson will arrange credentials.

DRYDEN FLIGHT RESEARCH CENTER
Notice for a Discovery landing at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center
on Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., could be short. Media should
consider accrediting Los Angeles-based personnel who could travel
quickly to Dryden. Deadlines for submitting are Sept. 27 for non-U.S.
media, regardless of citizenship, and Oct. 30 for U.S. media who are
U.S. citizens.

For Dryden media credentials, U.S. citizens representing domestic
media must provide their full name, date of birth, place of birth,
media organization, the last six digits of their social security
number and driver's license number, including the name of the issuing
state. Foreign media representatives, regardless of citizenship, must
provide additional data including their citizenship, visa or passport
number, expiration date, and alien registration number if applicable.

Media should fax requests for credentials on company letterhead to
661-276-3566. Requests to [email protected] are acceptable for media
who have been accredited at Dryden within the past year. Requests
must include a phone number and business e-mail address for follow-up
contact.

NASA PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS:
Kennedy Space Center: George Diller, 321-867-2468
Johnson Space Center: James Hartsfield, 281-483-5111
Dryden Flight Research Center: Leslie Williams, 661-276-3893

       
-end-

[jacqmans]

Special ESA-Esperia site is up:

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Esperia/index.html

[jacqmans]

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-117

NASA SHOWCASES NEXT SPACE STATION COMPONENT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's Kennedy Space Center will hold a media
event at 10 a.m. EDT, Tuesday, Sept. 18, to highlight the next piece
to be added to the International Space Station. The Node-2 module,
known as Harmony, will launch aboard space shuttle Discovery on
mission STS-120, targeted for launch Oct. 23.

Harmony will act as an internal connecting port and passageway to
additional international science labs and cargo spacecraft. The
pressurized module will increase the living and working space inside
the station and serve as a work platform outside for the station's
robotic arm. The module is approximately 21 feet long and 14 feet in
diameter.

During the event, reporters at the Space Station Processing Facility
will have the opportunity to speak with mission managers involved in
processing Harmony for flight. Harmony is scheduled to be transferred
at the end of the month to Launch Pad 39A, in preparation for its
journey to the station.

Media attending the event should arrive at Kennedy's news center by
9:30 a.m. for transportation to the processing facility. Media
without permanent Kennedy credentials should submit their request via
the online accreditation Web site at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

The processing facility is an operational area. All participants must
be properly dressed in full-length pants, flat shoes that entirely
cover the feet, and shirts with sleeves.

For the latest information on the STS-120 mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

[jacqmans]

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-123

NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY TO MOVE TO LAUNCH PAD

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Discovery is targeted to roll
out to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on
Saturday, Sept. 29, as preparations for the STS-120 mission move
forward. Discovery is targeted to lift off Oct. 23 on a 14-day
mission to the International Space Station.

The first motion of the shuttle out of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly
Building is expected at 8 p.m. EDT. The 3.4-mile journey to the
launch pad is expected to take about six hours.

NASA Television will provide a live picture of Discovery at the pad
beginning at 7 a.m. Sunday. Video highlights of the rollout will air
on NASA TV's Video File segments.

Media are invited to a photo opportunity of Discovery at the pad and
interview availability with Discovery Flow Director Stephanie Stilson
at 6:30 a.m. Sunday. Since dates and times of this event are subject
to change, updates are available by calling 321-867-2525.

Media must arrive at Kennedy's News Center by 6 a.m. Sunday for
transportation to the viewing area. Foreign news media accreditation
for this event now is closed. Foreign media who already have been
credentialed must arrive at the Pass and ID Building on State Road 3
by 5:30 a.m. for transportation to the News Center. U.S. media
without permanent Kennedy Space Center credentials should apply
online by 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27 on the center's accreditation
Web site at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

Badges must be picked up by 4 p.m. Friday.

The STS-120 mission will add a module to the space station that will
serve as a port for installing additional international laboratories.
The Harmony module will be the first expansion of the living and
working space on the orbiting laboratory since 2001. The mission also
will move the first set of solar arrays installed on the station to a
permanent location on the complex and redeploy them.

For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming
video, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For information about the STS-120 mission and crew, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

[jacqmans]

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-126

SHUTTLE DISCOVERY AT LAUNCH PAD; LAUNCH DRESS REHEARSAL NEXT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - With space shuttle Discovery now at its launch
pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the next major milestone for the
upcoming STS-120 mission is a full launch dress rehearsal.

The shuttle arrived at the pad near noon EDT Sunday on top of a giant
vehicle called the crawler-transporter. The crawler-transporter began
carrying Discovery out of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building at 6:47
a.m., traveling less than 1 mph during the 3.4 mile journey.
Discovery was firmly on the launch pad, or hard down, at 1:15 p.m.

Discovery is targeted to launch Oct. 23 on a 14-day mission to the
International Space Station. The shuttle's seven crew members will
add a module to the space station that will serve as a port for
installing additional international laboratories. The crew also will
move the station's first set of solar arrays to a permanent location
and redeploy them.

Discovery's crew members are Commander Pam Melroy, Pilot George Zamka
and mission specialists Scott Parazynski, Stephanie Wilson, Doug
Wheelock, Daniel Tani and Paolo Nespoli of the European Space Agency.
Tani will remain aboard the station and return with the STS-122 crew,
targeted to launch Dec. 6. Current station Flight Engineer Clayton
Anderson will return to Earth aboard Discovery.

The STS-120 astronauts and ground crews will participate in a launch
dress rehearsal, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test,
or TCDT, from Oct. 7 to 10 at Kennedy. The test provides each shuttle
crew with an opportunity to participate in various simulated
countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and
emergency training.

The following are media events associated with the test. All times are
Eastern.

Oct. 7 - STS-120 Crew Arrival: The crew will arrive at 7 p.m. at the
Shuttle Landing Facility and make a statement. The arrival will not
be broadcast live but will be part of the NASA TV Video File.

Oct. 9 - STS-120 Crew Media Q&A: The crew will take media questions at
Launch Pad 39A at 8:15 a.m. The session will be carried live on NASA
TV.

Oct. 10 - STS-120 Crew Walkout Photo Opportunity: The astronauts will
depart from the Operations and Checkout Building at 7:45 a.m. in
their flight entry suits in preparation for the countdown
demonstration test at the launch pad. The walkout will not be
broadcast live but will be part of the NASA TV Video File.

Dates and times of events are subject to change. Schedule updates are
available at 321-867-2525.

New foreign media accreditation for these events is closed. U.S. media
without permanent Kennedy Space Center credentials must apply for
accreditation online by 4:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 4 at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

To attend crew arrival, reporters must pick up badges by 4 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 5, at the Pass and Identification Building on State Road
3.

For information about covering these events, including proper attire
and meeting locations, credentialed media should visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/media.html

Video b-roll of the terminal countdown demonstration test will be
available on the NASA TV Video File. For NASA TV downlink
information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For information about the STS-120 mission and crew, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

[jacqmans]

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-129

NASA ANNOUNCES NEWS CONFERENCE ON STATUS OF NEXT SHUTTLE LAUNCH

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA managers have scheduled a news conference
at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., no earlier than 3 p.m. EDT,
Tuesday, Oct. 16, to discuss the status of the upcoming space shuttle
mission. The news conference will begin after the conclusion of the
Flight Readiness Review, or FRR, which is chaired by NASA's Associate
Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier.

A two-day preliminary review to assess preparations for shuttle
Discovery's mission, designated STS-120, was held Oct. 9-10. Space
Shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale is chaired that meeting and will
provide a summary to the Oct. 16 executive-level FRR. The Oct 16
review is expected to include the selection of an official launch
date for Discovery's voyage to the International Space Station. The
current targeted launch time is 11:38 a.m. on Oct. 23.

Briefing participants are:
- NASA Associate Administrator Chris Scolese
- Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier
- Space Shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale
- Space Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach

The briefing will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the
agency's Web site. Media may ask questions from participating NASA
locations. Reporters should contact their preferred NASA center to
confirm its participation.

[jacqmans]

ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli and his fellow STS-120 crewmembers have taken part in a practice countdown at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, in Florida, ahead of their mission to the International Space Station due for launch later this month.

Read more at:

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Esperia/SEM7A72PL7F_0.html

[jacqmans]

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-133

NASA SETS INTERVIEWS WITH FLIGHT DIRECTOR FOR NEXT SHUTTLE MISSION

HOUSTON - International Space Station Flight Director Derek Hassmann
will be available for satellite interviews from 6 to 8 a.m. CDT
Friday, Oct. 19. Hassmann will lead NASA's Mission Control Center
during the next space shuttle mission, which will involve the first
expansion of the station's living and working space in more than six
years.

Hassmann is a native of San Antonio and a graduate of the University
of Texas. He is the lead flight director for space shuttle
Discovery's STS-120 mission to the station. Countdown for Discovery's
mission is targeted to begin Saturday, Oct. 20. The launch is
targeted for 10:38 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23.

Discovery will deliver a new connecting module named Harmony to the
station and continue assembly of the complex's solar power system.
Harmony will provide attachment points for new laboratories from
Europe and Japan that will be launched to the station on upcoming
missions.

To participate in the interviews, media should contact producer
Stephanie Stoll at 281-483-9071 or pager 713-508-0581 by 2 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 18. B-roll of preparations for the mission will be
broadcast starting at 5:30 a.m., immediately prior to the interviews.

The NASA Television low-latency channel will be used to conduct the
interviews with the least audio delay. The NASA TV low-latency
channel is on satellite AMC 6, transponder 5C, located at 72 degrees
west, downlink frequency 3785.5 Mhz, vertical polarity. The
interviews also will be broadcast live on NASA TV. For NASA TV
downlink, schedule and streaming video information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For STS-120 crew and mission information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

[jacqmans]

RELEASE: 07-209

NASA GIVES "GO" FOR SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH ON OCT. 23

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA senior managers Tuesday completed a
detailed review of space shuttle Discovery's readiness for flight and
selected Oct. 23 as the official launch date. Commander Pam Melroy
and her six crewmates are scheduled to lift off at 11:38 a.m. EDT on
the STS-120 mission to the International Space Station.

Tuesday's meeting included a discussion about concerns raised by the
NASA Engineering and Safety Center regarding the reinforced carbon
carbon on three of Discovery's wing leading edge panels. This issue
initially was brought before the Space Shuttle Program during a
two-day, preliminary review held last week to assess preparations for
Discovery's mission.

"After a thorough discussion and review of all current engineering
analysis, we have determined that Discovery's panels do not need to
be replaced before the mission," said Associate Administrator for
Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier, who chaired Tuesday's meeting.

During the shuttle's 120th mission, the shuttle and station crews will
work with flight controllers at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston,
to add a module to the station that will serve as a port for
installing future international laboratories. The Harmony module will
be the first expansion of the living and working space on the station
since 2001. The upcoming mission also will move the first set of
solar arrays installed on the station to a permanent location on the
complex and redeploy them.

The 14-day mission includes five spacewalks - four by shuttle crew
members and one by the station's Expedition 16 crew. Discovery is
expected to complete its mission and return home at 4:47 a.m. EST on
Nov. 6.

Joining Commander Melroy on STS-120 will be Pilot George Zamka and
mission specialists Scott Parazynski, Stephanie Wilson, Doug
Wheelock, Daniel Tani and Paolo Nespoli of the European Space Agency.
Tani will remain aboard the station and return with the STS-122 crew,
which is targeted to launch Dec. 6. Current Flight Engineer Clayton
Anderson will return to Earth on Discovery after nearly five months
on the station.

[jacqmans]

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-135

NASA SET TO BEGIN SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY COUNTDOWN OCT. 20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA will start the launch countdown for space
shuttle Discovery's STS-120 mission at 2 p.m. EDT Saturday, Oct. 20,
at T-43 hours. The countdown includes 26 hours and 38 minutes of
built-in hold time leading to a preferred launch time of
approximately 11:38 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 23. The launch window
extends an additional five minutes.

During the 14-day mission to the International Space Station,
Discovery's crew will add the Node 2 module to the expanding station.
Node 2, known as Harmony, will provide attachment points for European
and Japanese laboratory modules to be installed later this year and
early in 2008, respectively. The Discovery crew also will move the
station's Port 6 segment of the station's backbone, or truss, and its
solar arrays to a permanent position at the very end of the left side
of the truss. The flight will include five spacewalks.

A detailed list of launch countdown milestones and times is available
at:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/news/index.html

This mission is the 120th space shuttle flight, the 34th flight for
Discovery and the 23rd U.S. flight to the International Space
Station. This mission includes the most number of spacewalks ever
conducted while the shuttle is docked to the station.

For more information about the STS-120 crew and the mission to the
space station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

[jacqmans]

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-140

NASA SETS SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY PRELAUNCH EVENTS

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- News conferences, events and operating hours
for NASA's Kennedy Space Center News Center are set for the upcoming
launch of space shuttle Discovery. The STS-120 mission to the
International Space Station is set to lift off at 11:38 a.m. EDT on
Oct. 23.

On Friday, Oct. 19, the seven Discovery crew members are scheduled to
arrive at the Kennedy Space Center at 12:30 p.m. Badged media
planning to cover the event must be at Kennedy's News Center by 11
a.m. for transportation to the Shuttle Landing Facility. Commander
Pam Melroy will make a brief statement to media. NASA Television will
provide live coverage.

NASA TV also will broadcast live countdown status briefings and news
conferences Oct. 20-22. Complete listings of news briefing times and
participants as well as hours of operation for the Kennedy News
Center and media credentialing office are available at:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/news/index.html

For NASA TV streaming video, scheduling and downlink information,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For the latest information about the STS-120 crew and mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

-end-

STS-120 BRIEFING & EVENTS SCHEDULE
(All time are Eastern)

All briefings are held inside the Kennedy Press Site auditorium and
will be carried live on NASA TV unless otherwise noted.

L-4 Days - Friday, Oct. 19

12:30 p.m. - STS-120 crew arrival at Shuttle Landing Facility

L-3 Days - Saturday, Oct. 20

10 a.m. - Countdown Status Briefing
- Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, NASA Test Director
- Glenn Chin, STS-120 Payload Manager
- Kathy Winters, Shuttle Weather Officer

2 p.m. - Launch countdown officially begins (not on NASA TV)

L-2 Days - Sunday, Oct. 21

10 a.m. - Countdown Status Briefing
- Jeff Spaulding, NASA Test Director
- Glenn Chin, STS-120 Payload Manager
- Kathy Winters, Shuttle Weather Officer

1 p.m. (no earlier than) - STS-120 Launch Readiness News Conference
- LeRoy Cain, Launch Integration Manager, Space Shuttle Program
- Mike Leinbach, Space Shuttle Launch Director
- Alan Thirkettle, ISS Program Manager, ESA
- Mauro Piermaria, ASI ESPERIA Mission Manager
- Kathy Winters, Shuttle Weather Officer

L-1 Day - Monday, Oct. 22

10 a.m. - Countdown Status Briefing
- Steve Payne, NASA Test Director
- Kathy Winters, Shuttle Weather Officer

11:30 a.m. - Live Astronaut Webcast with Sandra Magnus

1 p.m. - Constellation Briefing
- Mark Geyer, Deputy Manager, Constellation Program
- Mark Kirasich, Deputy Manager, Orion Project
- Bob Ess, Manager, Ares 1-X Project

3 p.m. - Rotating Service Structure moves to launch position

Launch Day - Tuesday, Aug. 7

6:30 a.m. - Live launch commentary begins

Launch Day Crew Activities: (times may vary slightly)
1:30 a.m. -- Crew wakes up (not on NASA TV)
7:08 a.m. -- Weather briefing (CDR, PLT, MS2) (not on NASA TV)
7:08 a.m. -- Astronauts don flight suits
7:48 a.m. -- Depart for launch pad
8:18 a.m. -- Arrive at white room and begin ingress
9:33 a.m. -- Close crew hatch
11:38 a.m. -- Launch

Launch + 1 hour - Post-launch News Conference
- Chris Scolese, NASA Associate Administrator
- Bill Gerstenmaier, Associate Administrator for Space Operations
- LeRoy Cain, Mission Management Team
- Mike Leinbach, Space Shuttle Launch Director

Kennedy News Center office hours for STS-120
Times may be adjusted in real time depending on mission events and
timelines.

Friday, Oct. 19 --- (Launch minus 4 days) --- 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 20 --- (Launch minus 3 days) --- 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 21 --- (Launch minus 2 days) --- 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 22 --- (Launch minus 1 day) --- 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 23 --- (Launch) Flight day 1 --- 5 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Oct. 24 - Nov. 5 --- Flight days 2 - 13 --- 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (except
weekends)
Tuesday, Nov. 6 --- (Landing) Flight day 14 --- TBD

Media Badging Schedule

News media may obtain STS-120 mission credentials from the Kennedy
Space Center Pass and Identification Office on State Road 3. Office
hours of operation are listed below.

Friday, Oct. 19 ----- 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 20 ----- 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 21 ----- 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 22 ----- 6:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 23 ----- 4:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

News media are required to be under NASA Public Affairs escort at all
times while at Kennedy Space Center, except when at the News Center
or the Complex 39 cafeteria. No photography is allowed anywhere other
than the press site unless prior permission is granted by NASA Public
Affairs.

News media are allowed at the press site only when Public Affairs
personnel are on duty and the NASA News Center is open.

For the latest information on the STS-120 mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

[jacqmans]

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-139

NASA ANNOUNCES WEB COVERAGE OF NEXT SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A prelaunch webcast, live blogs, podcasts,
pictures and videos highlight NASA's Internet coverage of space
shuttle Discovery's STS-120 mission to the International Space
Station. Discovery is scheduled to lift off on Oct. 23 at 11:38 a.m.
EDT. NASA will provide continuous online updates at:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

A live webcast featuring STS-112 astronaut Sandra Magnus will start
the in-depth coverage of the mission at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Oct.
22.

A blog will update the countdown beginning about six hours before
Discovery's launch. Originating from NASA's Kennedy Space Center,
Fla., the blog is the definitive Internet source for prelaunch
information.

During the 14-day mission, Discovery's seven astronauts will add a
module called Harmony to the International Space Station. The
Italian-built segment will become a connecting point for future
laboratories built by the European and Japanese space agencies.
Discovery's crew includes astronaut Daniel Tani, who will move into
the orbiting laboratory as part of the Expedition 16 crew. He will
replace Clayton Anderson, who launched to the station in June and
will return to Earth aboard Discovery. Tani will live and work on the
station until returning to Earth aboard space shuttle Atlantis on the
STS-122 mission, targeted to launch Dec. 6. Visitors to NASA's
shuttle Web site can read about the crew's progress and watch the
spacewalks live from the space station.

As Discovery's flight concludes, the NASA blog will detail the
spacecraft's return to Earth.

[jacqmans]

RELEASE: 52-07

AIRSPACE, BRIDGES AND WATERWAY RESTRICTIONS IN EFFECT FOR STS-120

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- For the launch of space shuttle Discovery's
STS-120 mission, NASA managers are urging all aircraft pilots and
boaters to fully comply with the airspace, bridges and waterway
restrictions imposed around Kennedy Space Center prior to and during
shuttle launches and landings.

"As always, we are coordinating with officials from the U.S. Air Force
Eastern Range, Federal Aviation Administration and U.S. Coast Guard
to help provide a safe launch environment for the shuttle crew and
for interested spectators," said Shuttle Launch Director Mike
Leinbach. "Violating these restrictions is not only unsafe for the
astronauts and support crews, it's unsafe for the violator."

The first launch opportunity is Tuesday, Oct. 23, with liftoff
scheduled for 11:38 a.m. EDT. This launch time is approximately in
the middle of a 10-minute launch window. At NASA's request, Air Force
and Coast Guard surveillance aircraft will patrol Eastern Range
airspace boundaries on launch day. Violators will be intercepted by
patrol forces, thoroughly investigated and subject to FAA enforcement
action. A number of restrictions remain in effect around Kennedy
during the hours immediately following the launch of a space shuttle.

The following are restrictions that apply to pilots, boaters and motor
vehicle operators using the airspace, waterways, or roads and bridges
that lead to Kennedy.

KSC AREA AVIATION RESTRICTIONS

For the launch of Discovery on mission STS-120, all restricted areas
surrounding Kennedy will be active and the area covered by flight
restrictions has once again been expanded for this launch.

Due to international terrorist activities, heightened security is
essential to protect the space shuttle as a national asset. An
inadvertent unauthorized incursion into the area of the Cape
Canaveral Temporary Flight Restriction, or TFR, could cause a scrub
in the launch of Discovery, the activation of airspace defenses and
an FAA enforcement action. Local pilots are asked to help NASA by
respecting these temporary but necessary restrictions so the launch
can occur on time and without incident.

The Eastern Range restricted airspace for Kennedy and Cape Canaveral
Air Force Station is in effect on a continuous basis and is off
limits to general aviation pilots. Access is limited to official
aircraft only. The restricted airspace normally covers the area
bounded by the Indian River to the west, Port Canaveral to the south,
the city of Oak Hill to the north, and three miles over the Atlantic
Ocean to the east. Pilots are encouraged to consult the current FAA
aeronautical chart for Orlando Class B airspace.

On launch day, these restricted areas will be expanded by the TFR and
will be activated seven hours before the launch window opens. This
will continue in effect until 30 minutes after launch, after which
the standard restricted areas for Kennedy and Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station will remain in effect. On Tuesday, Oct. 23, the TFR
will be activated at 4:33 a.m. EDT. The launch is targeted to occur
at 11:38 a.m. within a launch window that extends from 11:33 to 11:43
a.m. EDT. The TFR will remain in effect until 12:03 p.m. EDT. If the
launch is scrubbed, pilots should check NOTAMs for the hours the TFR
will be in effect for the next launch attempt.

General aviation and VFR operations are prohibited within a
30-nautical-mile radius of Launch Pad 39A from the surface to (but
not including) 18,000 feet (located on the Melbourne VOR/DME
004-degree radial at 30.6 nautical miles). Among the public-use
general aviation airports affected within this area include Space
Coast Regional Airport and Arthur Dunn Airpark, both in Titusville,
and Merritt Island Airport on Merritt Island.

Within an airspace radius between 30 and 40 nautical miles, a discrete
transponder code must be obtained and clearance granted from air
traffic control before entering this airspace. Continuous radio
communications must be maintained.

Among the public-use airports affected within the 30- to
40-nautical-mile radius in which flight is permitted but under
positive air traffic control are Orlando International Airport,
Orlando Executive Airport, Orlando-Sanford International Airport, New
Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport, Melbourne International Airport and
Valkaria Airport. While Massey Ranch in Edgewater is within 30 miles
of Pad 39A, there is a four-mile cutout which includes this airport
within the 30-40 mile radius.

Before flight, pilots should contact the St. Petersburg Flight Service
Station at 1-800/WxBrief (1-800/992-7433) for details of the
restrictions contained in the NOTAMs.

In flight, outside Orlando Class B airspace, pilots should contact
Orlando Approach control on 134.95. In the Melbourne area, contact
Orlando Approach control on 132.65. In southern Volusia County,
contact Orlando Approach control on 125.35. Flight Service can also
be reached locally by radio on the Titusville RCO at 123.6 or the
Melbourne RCO on 122.6. Advisories will also be available from the
control tower at Space Coast Regional Airport at 118.9 megahertz.

BRIDGES AND ACCESS HIGHWAYS CONTROLLED FOR LAUNCH

The opening and closing of bridges over waterways surrounding Kennedy
will be strictly controlled during the hours immediately before and
after the launch period for each space shuttle mission.

Bridges affected by the launch include:

* Port Canaveral Barge Canal (State Road 401);

* Indian River/NASA Causeway West (Intracoastal Waterway);

* Merritt Island Barge Canal (Merritt Island State Road 3);

* Haulover Canal (State Road 3, north of KSC).

Restraints on bridge openings for boat traffic begin three hours
before launch. The bridges may be opened for five minutes at the
following points in the launch countdown: T-180 minutes, T-150
minutes, T-120 minutes, T-90 minutes and T-65 minutes. Adding 20
minutes to these times and then subtracting the total number of
minutes from the opening of the 10-minute launch window (11:33 a.m.)
will result in an approximate time of openings.

Bridges will remain closed to boat traffic until 90 minutes after
liftoff (T+90). They may then open for five minutes at T+90, T+120
minutes and T+150 minutes. Bridge operations will return to normal
three hours after launch (T+180 minutes).

Should the shuttle be required to perform a return-to-launch-site
landing at Kennedy, all bridges would remain closed to boat traffic
from 45 minutes before landing until at least one hour after landing.

State Road 3 from the Gate 2 Pass and Identification Building to State
Road 405 (NASA Causeway) via Space Commerce Way will be closed on
launch day, Oct. 23, beginning at 8 a.m. NASA Causeway between the
Kennedy Visitor Complex and the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame will also
be closed starting at that time. Only badged employees and guests
with passes will be permitted access. These roads will reopen
approximately two hours after launch.

On the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, State Road 406 east to State
Road 3, as well as State Road 3 south from Haulover Canal bridge to
State Road 402 leading to Titusville, will close at 8 a.m. on launch
day and reopen after launch.

KSC AREA BOATING RESTRICTIONS

Waterways and boating near Kennedy will be strictly controlled prior
to and during the launch of Discovery on STS-120.

Safety and security requirements, including Air Force range safety
impact limit lines, will go into effect three days before launch.
Other requirements will be phased into effect through sunset the
night before launch. A general description of the area follows:

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Beginning on L-3 days (Saturday, Oct. 20) at 6 p.m.
and continuing through launch, a general exclusion zone will be in
effect three miles offshore from the Haulover Canal, near the north
end of Kennedy, and southward to Port Canaveral. Four hours prior to
launch, all ocean-going traffic will be restricted from entering an
area measured from nine miles north and south of the launch pad and
extending 64 miles east into the ocean. An additional three-mile-wide
exclusion zone will be extended eastward along the flight path of the
space shuttle.

INDIAN RIVER: Restrictions apply from the NASA Causeway north to the
Haulover Canal and east of the Indian River's main channel.
Restrictions begin on L-3 days (Saturday, Oct. 20).

MOSQUITO LAGOON: This area south of the Haulover Canal in the Mosquito
Lagoon is off limits to all boats beginning on L-1 day (Monday, Oct.
22).

BANANA RIVER: Security limits begin at the Banana River Barge Canal
south of Kennedy at the State Road 528 crossing and extend north.
This restriction is effective 16 hours prior to launch (Tuesday, Oct.
22, at 7:33 p.m.).

All boating restrictions will be lifted approximately one hour after
launch. Boating interests should monitor Coast Guard Channel 16
broadcasting from Port Canaveral. The U.S. Coast Guard, U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Florida Wildlife Commission,
Brevard County Sheriff's Office, and NASA security forces share
responsibility for enforcing the boating guidelines.

[jacqmans]

Report #J07-016

TEXAS STUDENTS CELEBRATE “HARMONY” ON NASA’S DISCOVERY LAUNCH

HOUSTON - Students from Brigette Berry’s 8th grade class at League City Intermediate School in League City, Texas, and Bradley Neu’s 9th grade science class at Lubbock High School in Lubbock, Texas, are among the hundreds gathered at NASA's Kennedy Center to view the launch of space shuttle Discovery, targeted for Tuesday, Oct. 23. These students have a special connection to the flight. They helped name an important, bus-sized module that is flying on the shuttle's STS-120 mission to the International Space Station.

The module, previously known as Node 2, was named "Harmony" after an academic competition involving more than 2,220 kindergarten through high school students from 32 states. The Node 2 Challenge required students to learn about the space station, build a scale model and write an essay explaining their proposed name for the module that will serve as a central hub for science labs.

The other winning schools are:
•Paul Cummins' 8th Grade class at Browne Academy, Alexandria, Va.
•Sue Wilson's 3rd grade class at Buchanan Elementary School, Baton Rouge, La.
•Russell Yocum's 3rd Grade class at West Navarre Intermediate School, Navarre, Fla.
•David Dexheimer's students at the World Group Home School, Monona, Wis.

A panel of NASA educators, engineers, scientists and senior agency management selected "Harmony" because the name symbolizes the spirit of international cooperation embodied by the space station, as well as the module's specific role in connecting the international partner modules.

Harmony is approximately 24 feet long and 14.5 feet in diameter. The pressurized module will act as an internal connecting port and passageway to additional international science labs and cargo spacecraft. In addition to increasing the living and working space inside the station, it also will serve as a work platform outside for the station's robotic arm.

Harmony joins three other named U.S. modules on the station: the Destiny laboratory, the Quest airlock and the Unity node. This is the first U.S. piece of the space station named by people outside of NASA.

Using space shuttles to finish construction of the International Space Station is a key step in America's long-term exploration strategy, which includes plans to venture beyond Earth orbit for purposes of human exploration and scientific discovery. The space station is a crucial test bed for those future exploration missions.

For more information about the Node 2 Challenge, visit the NASA Exploring Space Challenges Web site:

http://esc.nasa.gov/

[jacqmans]

RELEASE: 07-231

NASA'S SHUTTLE DISCOVERY BEGINS MISSION TO THE SPACE STATION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The space shuttle Discovery and its
seven-member crew lifted off Tuesday, Oct. 23, from NASA's Kennedy
Space Center in Florida at 11:38 a.m. EDT to continue construction of
the International Space Station.

During the 14-day mission, designated STS-120, Discovery's crew will
continue construction of the space station with the installation of
the Harmony connecting module, also known as Node 2. The crew, led by
Commander Pam Melroy, will conduct five spacewalks during the
mission, four by shuttle crew members and one by the station's
Expedition 16 crew.

Discovery is scheduled to dock to the station on Thursday, Oct. 25.
The addition of the Harmony module sets the stage for the arrival of
new research laboratories from the European Space Agency and the
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in upcoming shuttle missions.
During the mission, the STS-120 crew also will move the station's
Port 6 segment of the station's backbone, or truss, and its solar
arrays to a permanent position at the end of the truss' left side.

Joining Melroy on the STS-120 crew are Pilot George Zamka, mission
specialists Scott Parazynski, Doug Wheelock, Stephanie Wilson, Daniel
Tani and European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli. Tani will
serve as mission specialist aboard Discovery and join the Expedition
16 Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko, who
arrived at the station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft Oct. 12.

Tani will rotate positions with station resident Clayton Anderson.
After five months on the station, Anderson will return with
Discovery's crew at the conclusion of the STS-120 mission.

This is the 120th space shuttle flight, the 34th flight for Discovery
and the 23rd U.S. flight to the International Space Station.

For more information about the STS-120 mission, including images and
interviews with the crew, visit:

www.nasa.gov/shuttle

[jacqmans]

ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli and Node 2 module head for ISS

23 October 2007

ESA PR 31-2007. Paolo Nespoli set off on his way to the International Space Station earlier this evening on board NASA’s Space Shuttle Discovery. Inside the Shuttle’s cargo bay is the Node 2 module, the first European-built module to be permanently attached to the Station.

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMRO53Z28F_index_0.html

[jacqmans]

STS-120 MCC Status Report #01

HOUSTON -- The Space Shuttle Discovery raced into space this morning with an on-time launch at 10:38 CDT. Onboard are seven crewmembers led by veteran astronaut Pam Melroy. Discovery's crew will join the International Space Station’s Expedition 16 crew Thursday morning.

Melroy, Pilot George Zamka and Mission Specialists Stephanie Wilson, Doug Wheelock, Scott Parazynski, Paolo Nespoli and Dan Tani began unstowing equipment and checking systems after reaching orbit.

On the way to the space station, Discovery’s crew will oversee a complete checkout of orbiter systems, including the robotic arm which will see extensive use throughout the mission beginning on Wednesday when it will be used to inspect the thermal protection system of the shuttle.

Discovery and its crew will arrive at the station at about 7:30 a.m. CDT Thursday and Tani will swap places with astronaut Clay Anderson. Anderson will come home aboard Discovery after serving 4 ½ months as a station flight engineer.

The launch of Discovery on its 34th mission begins a flight that will see the space station grow in size and capability with the addition of the first U.S. pressurized module since the Quest Airlock was delivered in 2001. The Harmony module, also known as Node 2, will add 2,600 cubic feet of living and working space to the complex. It will serve as the permanent docking port for international laboratories from the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

The shuttle astronauts are set to go to bed about 4:30 p.m. CDT today and awaken at 12:38 a.m. CDT Wednesday to begin their first full day in space.

As Discovery launched, the station crew, commanded by astronaut Peggy Whitson, watched live via a laptop computer as they sailed 218 miles above the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Ireland.

[jacqmans]

STS-120 MCC Status Report #02

HOUSTON -- The Space Shuttle Discovery is headed to the International Space Station, carrying the Harmony module, destined to become the first expansion of the orbiting complex's living and working space since 2001.

The addition of Harmony, a connector module also known as Node 2, will set the stage for the arrival of new research laboratories from the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on future shuttle missions.

Following a flawless launch today, the seven crew members aboard Discovery opened the shuttle’s payload bay doors, successfully deployed the Ku-Band antenna that provides high-rate communications and television, and checked out the shuttle's robotic arm. They also transmitted video and photographs of the shuttle's external tank to the ground for standard post-launch analysis by engineers.

Discovery is commanded by veteran astronaut Pam Melroy. The pilot is George Zamka and mission specialists include Stephanie Wilson, Doug Wheelock, Scott Parazynski, Dan Tani and Paolo Nespoli of the European Space Agency. The crew will awaken at 12:38 a.m. Wednesday to begin their first full day in space.

On Wednesday, the crew will perform a close inspection of Discovery’s heat shield using the shuttle’s robotic arm and the Orbiter Boom Sensor System. They also will check the spacesuits that will be used for spacewalks during the mission and install a centerline camera in the shuttle docking hatch that is used to help align the vehicle for docking.

[jacqmans]

1 a.m. CDT, Oct. 24, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
 
STS-120 MCC Status Report #03

HOUSTON – The astronauts on board Space Shuttle Discovery have begun their first full day in space on a two-week mission to set the stage for delivery of new laboratory modules from two more of the International Space Station’s partner agencies.

The main payload on STS-120 is a connecting node, named Harmony. It will expand the pressurized volume in ISS to approximately 18,000 square feet and provide the docking ports for labs furnished by the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Those components are due to arrive on orbit late this year and early next.

This morning’s wakeup song, “Lord of the Dance,” performed by John Langstaff, was played for Commander Pam Melroy at 12:39 a.m. CDT.

Today Melroy and her crewmates, Pilot George Zamka and Mission Specialists Stephanie Wilson, Doug Wheelock, Scott Parazynski, Dan Tani and Paolo Nespoli of the European Space Agency will perform an inspection of Discovery’s heat shield using the shuttle’s robotic arm and the Orbiter Boom Sensor System. They’ll also check out the tools they need for Thursday’s rendezvous and docking to the station and install a centerline camera in the shuttle’s orbiter docking system. Spacewalkers Parazynski, Wheelock and Tani will prepare spacesuits that will be worn during the five spacewalks planned during ten days of docked operations.

The International Space Station’s Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineers Yuri Malenchenko and Clay Anderson started their day at midnight. Today they will set up spacesuits already in the station’s Quest airlock, and conduct a leak check of the Pressurized Mating Adapter where Discovery will dock to the station Thursday morning at 7:35 a.m. CDT.

Anderson, now in the 138th day of his flight, will spend time exercising to prepare himself to experience the pull of gravity again when he returns to Earth with the shuttle crew. Tani will stay onboard to work with Whitson and Malenchenko to put Harmony in its permanent location on the front of the Destiny laboratory so the next mission, targeted to launch in early December, can deliver the European laboratory module Columbus.

The next STS-120 status report will be issued Wednesday evening or earlier if events warrant.

[jacqmans]

Boeing Supports Addition of Newest Space Station Portal

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 23, 2007 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] is playing a significant role in the current 14-day Space Shuttle Discovery mission, which will deliver the European Space Agency's Harmony module to the International Space Station.

Boeing has worked with Thales Alenia Space in Torino, Italy, for more than 10 years to assemble and prepare the Harmony module for launch. Formerly known as Node 2, Harmony will act as an internal connecting port and passageway for future international science labs and cargo spacecraft. Thales Alenia Space built the utility node, while Boeing provided many of the subsystem components essential to supporting life on the station.

"This is a challenging assignment, and it will take another total team effort to ensure the success of one of NASA's most complex assembly missions," said Brewster Shaw, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space Exploration. "I'm proud of the pre-planning by our entire Space Exploration team as we work toward bringing the station one step closer to completion."

Harmony measures 23.6-feet long by 14.5-feet wide and weighs 31,500 pounds. The module adds 2,666 cubic feet of living space and several much needed storage racks. The Boeing subsystem components include lights, fans, power switches and converters, racks, air diffusers, smoke detectors, hatches and common berthing mechanisms, which help mate arriving pressurized elements to the existing on-orbit platform.

Harmony will be the first permanent pressurized module added to the station since the Russian Pirs Docking Compartment was added in September 2001. It joins three other named U.S. modules on the station, including the Boeing-built Destiny laboratory. Harmony will allow the distribution of resources from the station's truss to the Destiny lab and, in the future, to the European Space Agency's Columbus research laboratory and the Japanese Kibo experiment module.

During the mission, astronauts also will relocate the Boeing-built Port 6 truss and solar arrays to their permanent location on the far left of the station's (Port 5) truss structure. The solar arrays will provide the extra power needed to support future station growth as well as additional research activities.

The STS-120 mission marks the second time the Boeing-engineered Station-Shuttle Power Transfer System (SSPTS) will be used to allow the shuttle to remain docked on orbit for a longer period. The first use of the SSPTS occurred during STS-118 in August.

[jacqmans]

5 p.m. CDT, Oct. 24, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

 10.24.07  
STATUS REPORT: STS-120-04

 
STS-120 MCC Status Report #04

HOUSTON – The seven-member crew of STS-120 on board Space Shuttle Discovery is ready for tomorrow’s rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station, planned for 7:33 a.m. CDT.

Commander Pam Melroy and her crewmates today completed a five-hour inspection of Discovery’s heat shield using the shuttle’s robotic arm and the Orbiter Boom Sensor System.

During today’s initial look at Space Shuttle Discovery’s heat shield, mission managers received no reports of visible damage. However, engineers on the ground will add today’s three-dimensional sensor images to imagery and accelerometer data collected at launch and during the climb to orbit and continue their analysis. The images gathered during tomorrow’s back flip will help verify the heat shield’s condition.

Also today, Melroy and the rest of the crew, Pilot George Zamka and Mission Specialists Stephanie Wilson, Doug Wheelock, Scott Parazynski, Dan Tani and Paolo Nespoli of the European Space Agency installed the centerline camera that will be used during docking, extended the outer ring of the Orbiter Docking System, and checked the tools that will be used during rendezvous.

Tomorrow, Melroy will perform the rendezvous pitch maneuver, an orbiter back-flip just 600 feet below the space station that will allow Expedition 16 crew members Clay Anderson and Yuri Malenchenko to take detailed photographs of the orbiter’s underside.

The STS-120 crew is on a two-week mission that will set the stage for delivery of new research laboratories from the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in the upcoming assembly missions. During the mission, the crew will install the Harmony module, a connecting port and passageway for the new laboratories, in a temporary location.

The crew will also relocate the Port 6 (P6) truss segment and solar arrays to the end of the Port 5 truss and then redeploy and reactivate the P6 arrays, increasing the station’s capacity to generate power.

On board the space station, Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineers Malenchenko and Anderson readied the station for the arrival of Discovery’s crew by conducting a leak check of Pressurized Mating Adapter-2, Discovery’s docking point, and set up spacesuits already in the station’s Quest airlock.

Anderson, now in the 139th day of his flight, charged the batteries, formatted memory the cards, and configured the 400 and 800 milimeter lenses on the cameras that will be used during tomorrow’s orbiter maneuver. Anderson and Malenchenko also did a practice run of the photo shoot.

Anderson will return to Earth aboard Discovery. Tani will stay on the station to work with Whitson and Malenchenko to put Harmony in its permanent location on the front of the Destiny laboratory. The next shuttle mission, targeted to launch in early December, will deliver the European laboratory module Columbus.

Discovery’s crew went to sleep at 4:38 p.m. and will awaken at 12:38 a.m.

[jacqmans]

Space Shuttle Discovery is today scheduled to dock with the International Space Station at 14:35 CEST (12:35 UT). The Shuttle astronauts are due to enter the Station two hours later.

Full story:
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMM2HVH48F_index_0.html

[jacqmans]

1 a.m. CDT, Oct. 25, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

 
STS-120 MCC Status Report #5

HOUSTON – A new crew member and a new module are only hours away from arriving at the International Space Station. Space Shuttle Discovery is due to dock to the station at 7:33 a.m. CDT to begin 10 days of docked operations.

Today’s wakeup song at 12:39 a.m. CDT was “Dancing in the Moonlight” by King Harvest for astronaut Dan Tani. He should go to sleep tonight as a flight engineer on the space station Expedition 16 crew. The official exchange of Tani for Flight Engineer Clay Anderson, who arrived at the station in June, is to occur within the first few hours after docking. The transfer becomes official with the installation of Tani’s customized seat liner in the Soyuz.

Commander Pam Melroy and her shuttle crewmates begin rendezvous operations shortly before 2:00 a.m. CDT. At 6:32 a.m., at a range of 600 feet below the station, she’ll command Discovery to perform a back flip so Anderson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko can photograph the thermal tiles on the shuttle’s belly. Those digital images will be sent to Mission Control so specialists can look for evidence of any damage.

After docking at 7:33 a.m. and hatch opening two hours later, the crew members start moving spacewalking equipment into the Quest airlock to prepare for the first excursion on Friday. Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock will go outside to prepare the Harmony module to be grappled by the station’s robotic arm, lifted from Discovery’s payload bay, and installed on the port side of Unity.

Harmony, which will be permanently installed on the front of the Destiny laboratory after the shuttle departs, provides docking ports for laboratory modules from the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Those components are due on orbit late this year and early next year.

[jacqmans]

5:30 p.m. CDT, Oct. 25, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STS-120 MCC Status Report #6

HOUSTON – Two female commanders made space history today as they greeted one another with smiles and hugs in the International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory after a flawless rendezvous and docking.

Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson warmly welcomed the Space Shuttle Discovery crew at 9:39 a.m. CDT when STS-120 Commander Pam Melroy and her construction crew floated into the station, joining forces for a mission that is setting the stage for rapid-fire expansion of the international outpost.

The shuttle and space station docked at 7:40 a.m. over the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of North Carolina. Prior to docking, Melroy flew Discovery through an orbital back flip while about 600 feet below the space station, allowing Expedition 16 Flight Engineers Clay Anderson and Yuri Malenchenko to take a series of high-resolution photographs of the orbiter’s heat shield.

Just before bedtime, the combined crew was informed that based on early analysis, mission managers are anticipating no need for a focused inspection of Discovery’s heat shield while it is docked to the station. A final decision is expected to be made tomorrow after the images from the rendezvous pitch maneuver are considered.

On board the station, the official exchange of Anderson for his replacement on Expedition 16 took place at 11:12 a.m. with the installation of Dan Tani’s customized seat liner in the Russian Soyuz spacecraft that would return him to Earth in an emergency. Anderson will return home with the STS-120 crew.

Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock will spend tonight "camped out" inside the Quest airlock with air pressure lowered to help purge nitrogen from their bodies in preparation tomorrow’s spacewalk, the first of five planned for this mission. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 5:28 a.m. CDT Friday.

During the spacewalk, Parazynski and Wheelock will go outside to assist with the installation of the Harmony module. The Italian-built hub will be grappled by the station’s robotic arm, lifted from Discovery’s payload bay, and installed in a temporary location on port side of Unity. The spacewalkers also will retrieve a broken S-band antenna for return to Earth and disconnect the utility connections between the station’s first solar array and the station’s truss. The Port 6 solar array section will be moved to its final assembly location on a spacewalk later in the mission.

Parazynski, a veteran of four spaceflights, will serve as the lead on four of the five spacewalks. Wheelock is making his first spacewalk tomorrow. Inside the space station, Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson, Tani and Anderson will operate the station’s robotic arm for unberthing and installation of Harmony and antenna retrieval during the spacewalk.

The Expedition 16 crew will use Canadarm2 to move and install Harmony to its permanent location on the front of the Destiny laboratory after the shuttle departs. The new addition will increase the living and working space inside the station by more than 2,600 cubic feet and provide docking ports for laboratory modules from the European and Japanese space agencies. Those components are due on orbit late this year and early next year.

[jacqmans]

1 a.m. CDT, Oct. 26, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

 
STS-120 MCC Status Report #7

HOUSTON – Delivery of Harmony highlights the day as the crews of Space Shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station prepare for the first of a record five spacewalks planned for a single shuttle assembly mission.

The day began at 12:39 a.m. CDT with the wakeup song “Rocket Man” by Elton John, played for Mission Specialist Doug Wheelock on the day he performs the first spacewalk of his career.

Wheelock and Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski exit the Quest airlock at 5:28 a.m. for a six-and-a-half hour spacewalk. They will retrieve an S-band antenna assembly from the Z1 truss and pack it in the shuttle payload bay for return to Earth for refurbishment, disconnect umbilicals running between the P6 and Z1 trusses to facilitate the demating of P6 later in the flight, and prepare the connecting node Harmony for removal from the payload bay.

After the spacewalkers unplug Harmony from shuttle power, the station’s Canadarm2 will grapple it, lift it from Discovery’s payload bay, and install it on the port side of the station’s Unity node. Leak checks between the two modules will continue the rest of the day and overnight before the astronauts enter Harmony for the first time Saturday.

Harmony will be relocated to the front of the Destiny laboratory after the shuttle departs. It will provide the docking ports for laboratory modules from the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency that are to arrive late this year and early next year.

[jacqmans]

4:30 p.m. CDT, Oct. 26, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

 
STS-120 MCC Status Report #8

HOUSTON – It proved to be a perfect day for a spacewalk.

In just over six hours, STS-120 Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock installed the Harmony module in its temporary location on the International Space Station, readied the P6 truss for its relocation on Sunday, retrieved a failed radio communications antenna and snapped shut a window cover on Harmony that opened during launch on the space shuttle.

The astronauts plan to enter Harmony for the first time at 8:03 a.m. Saturday after Mission Specialist Paolo Nespoli and Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson open the hatches. The station’s newest pressurized module adds 2,666 cubic feet of volume, increasing the station’s living space by nearly 20 percent (from 15,000 to 17,666 cubic feet).

Mission managers today determined a focused inspection of Discovery’s heat shield is not necessary Saturday following detailed review of the imagery gathered over the last two days. The Mission Management Team declared the shuttle’s Thermal Protection System is cleared for reentry. A routine final inspection focusing on the wing leading edges is planned for late in the mission.

Station managers also decided to add a 360-degree visual inspection of the station’s starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) during the second spacewalk on Sunday. The SARJ has shown increased friction for the past month and a half. Though the increase is not constant and averages less than a tenth of an amp, managers decided to add the inspection because the spacewalkers will be near the joint.

During the spacewalk, astronauts will remove the multi-layer insulation covers on the joint to better see the swing bolts beneath and document their inspection with photographs.

Parazynski and Wheelock began the spacewalk at 5:02 a.m. and wrapped up at 11:16. First, the two removed and stowed the S-band Antenna Structural Assembly which is being returned to Earth on Discovery. Next, they secured a Payload and Data Grapple Fixture onto Harmony that could not be in place during launch, removed contamination covers and disconnected the power cables linking Harmony to Discovery.

Once the spacewalker’s preparations were complete, Mission Specialists Stephanie Wilson and Clay Anderson and Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Daniel Tani used the station’s robotic arm to remove Harmony from the payload bay and move it to its position on the port side of Unity. Nespoli coordinated spacewalk activities.

Harmony will be relocated to the front of the Destiny laboratory after the shuttle departs. It will provide the docking ports for laboratory modules from the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency that are to arrive late this year and early next year. Outfitting of the station’s newest module will continue throughout the mission.

[jacqmans]

1 a.m. CDT, Oct. 27, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

 
STS-120 MCC Status Report #09

HOUSTON – Today is the grand opening of the International Space Station’s newest module, a connecting node that will host new laboratory complexes from around the world.

The day began with an Italian wakeup song at 12:39 a.m. “Bellissime Stelle” (Beautiful Stars) by Andrea Bocelli was played for European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli of Italy, the country where the new node, Harmony, was built.

This morning Nespoli, a member of the crew on Space Shuttle Discovery, will work with Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson to outfit the vestibule between Harmony and the Unity module, to which it was installed yesterday during the first spacewalk of the mission. They are scheduled to open the hatch into Harmony at 7:58 a.m. CDT, and the crewmembers will get to enter the module for the first time. They will install a ventilation line to circulate the air and begin setup operations.

Harmony will be relocated to the front of the Destiny laboratory after the shuttle departs, and provide the docking ports for laboratory modules from the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency that are to arrive later this year and early next year.

This morning shuttle Commander Pam Melroy, Pilot George Zamka, and Mission Specialists Stephanie Wilson and Doug Wheelock will use the shuttle and station robotic arms to return the Orbiter Boom Sensor System to the starboard payload bay sill. Plans for a focused inspection of Discovery’s thermal protection system were cancelled by mission managers after a thorough review of detailed imagery yielded no evidence of damage that required more examination.

Additional time was added for today’s review of the updated plans for the second spacewalk of the mission, which takes place Sunday morning. In a newly-added task, space station Flight Engineer Dan Tani will visually inspect the truss’ starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint. He will look for possible causes of increased friction in that joint that has been detected for the past month and a half during its rotation for solar array positioning.

Tani also will spend time with astronaut Clay Anderson, his predecessor on Expedition 16, to get acclimated to life on the space station. This afternoon at 1:03 p.m. Anderson will join Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko plus shuttle astronauts Melroy, Zamka, Wilson and Wheelock in the new Harmony node to discuss the mission in interviews with CBS News, FOX News, and WHAM-TV of Rochester, New York, Melroy’s hometown.

At 2:23 p.m. Tani and his spacewalking partner, Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski, will begin their overnight campout pre-breathe inside the Quest airlock as they get prepared for their spacewalk starting at 4:58 a.m. Sunday.

[jacqmans]

p.m. CDT, Oct. 27, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STS-120 MCC Status Report #10

HOUSTON – Astronauts at the International Space Station now have a little more room to float around in – 2,666 cubic feet more, to be exact.

The hatch of Node 2 – or Harmony, as the module was named by school children – was opened at 7:24 a.m. CDT today. Station Commander Peggy Whitson and Mission Specialist Paolo Nespoli – who is from Italy, where the module was built – were the first to enter, and took advantage of the opportunity to remark on the appropriateness of its name.

“We think Harmony is a very good name for this module,” Whitson said, “because it represents the culmination of a lot of international partner work and will allow international partner modules to be added on.”

Crew members spent part of today hooking Harmony systems up for use. Rick LaBrode, lead shuttle flight director, said it was going well.

“It’s beautiful,” LaBrode said. “Bright, shiny. The report from the crew is that it’s as clean as can be. Perfect shape.”

The module won’t be ready for full use while space shuttle Discovery is at the station. It’s been installed in a temporary location because the shuttle’s docking port is currently situated at its final location. The station crew will move the docking port and Harmony, and finish bringing all of its systems online after the shuttle leaves.

After the module’s ventilation system was up and running, some crew members were able to take time out from their work for interviews with a few television stations. They answered questions on subjects ranging from the challenges of the missions to the historic significance of having Whitson, the first female commander of the station, in space at the same time as Pam Melroy, the second female commander for the shuttle.

“We hope to see a woman leading a mission to Mars someday,” Melroy said.

The other major tasks for the day centered around preparations for the mission’s second spacewalk on Sunday. Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski and the station’s newly arrived flight engineer, Daniel Tani, are scheduled to leave the station at 4:58 a.m. They’ll finish disconnecting the Port 6, or P6, truss segment from the top of the station, where it was installed temporarily in 2000, and help direct robotic arm operators as they move the solar array section to its permanent home on the end of the port truss.

In addition, mission managers also have asked Tani to take a look at a rotary joint used to rotate solar arrays on the starboard side of the truss. The joint has been showing some increased friction lately, and mission managers hope Tani may be able to identify the cause.

[jacqmans]

12:30 a.m. CDT, Oct. 28, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
 
STS-120 MCC Status Report #11

HOUSTON – The second of a record five spacewalks on one space shuttle visit to the International Space Station begins this morning, and it will end with a major station element en route to a new location.

Today’s wakeup song at 12:09 a.m. CDT, “What a Wonderful World,” by Louis Armstrong, was played for Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski on the day he makes his second spacewalk of the mission. He and Flight Engineer Dan Tani spent the night camped out in the Quest airlock to purge nitrogen from their bloodstreams to help prevent them from experiencing decompression sickness.

While the spacewalkers suit up, mission specialists Stephanie Wilson and Doug Wheelock will maneuver the station’s robot arm to grapple the P6 truss element, now secured atop the Z1 truss. When Parazynski and Tani exit the station at 4:58 a.m. CDT they will head for the intersection of the P6 and Z1 to disconnect the last umbilicals and bolts holding the two components together.

When they finish there the spacewalkers will move to separate jobs. Parazynski will go to the new Harmony node, installed on the Unity node Friday, to install handholds and other equipment. Tani will move to the starboard truss for two inspections. He will look for sharp edges on handrails on the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid cart and then move to the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint to look for the cause of increased friction that has been observed recently when that joint is rotated.

At the same time, Wilson and Wheelock will use Candaram2 to lift P6 off of the Z1 truss, the first step in its move to the far port end of the station’s truss structure. The 45-foot-long truss will remain on the arm tonight and will be handed over to the shuttle robot arm Monday. This allows the station arm atop its mobile operating base to move along the truss railway closer to the P6 outboard installation point and then P6 will be handed back to Canadarm2 for installation Tuesday during the mission’s third spacewalk.

Late in today’s spacewalk Parazynski and Tani meet up again to install a new grapple fixture on Harmony, a fixture that the station arm will use next month to remove Harmony from Unity and install it at the front of the Destiny laboratory. At that location Harmony will provide docking ports for the European and Japanese laboratory modules scheduled to arrive later this year and early next year.

Today’s spacewalk, the fifth of Parazynski’s career and the second for Tani, is scheduled to end at 11:38 a.m. CDT.

[jacqmans]

4 p.m. CDT, Oct. 28, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STS-120 MCC Status Report #12

HOUSTON – Astronauts Scott Parazynski and Dan Tani successfully completed all major tasks during STS-120's second spacewalk, the 17th this year and the 94th dedicated to the International Space Station's assembly and maintenance.

During the 6 hour and 33 minute spacewalk, Parazynski and Tani teamed to disconnect cables from the Port 6 (P6) truss, allowing it to be removed from the Z1 truss. Once completed, Mission Specialists Stephanie Wilson and Doug Wheelock used the station’s robotic arm to move the P6 and park it overnight. The space walk began at 4:32 a.m. CDT and ended at 11:05 a.m. CDT.

Tani also visually inspected the station’s starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint and gathered samples of “shavings” he found under the joint’s Multi-Layer Insulation covers. The task was added so engineers could gather additional information on possible causes of increased friction detected for the past month and a half as the joint rotated for solar array positioning.

Mission managers today decided to limit the use of the rotary joint as they continue to assess the anomaly. Managers also determined Discovery’s Thermal Protection System is cleared for reentry.

In addition to detaching the P6 truss, the spacewalkers outfitted the Harmony module, mated the power and data grapple fixture and reconfigured connectors on the starboard 1 (S1) truss that will allow the radiator on S1 to be deployed from the ground later.

Tomorrow, Wilson, Wheelock and Mission Specialist Clay Anderson will handoff the P6 element to the shuttle robotic arm, operated by Mission Specialists George Zamka and Commander Pam Melroy. The station’s arm will then be move down along the truss railway closer to the P6 outboard installation point and the P6 will be handed back to Canadarm2 for installation in its new location on P5 during the mission’s third spacewalk.

[jacqmans]

12:30 a.m. CDT, Oct. 29, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STS-120 MCC Status Report #13

HOUSTON – With two successful spacewalks completed in three days, the crews on Space Shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station have some time to relax today while also completing a big handoff and getting prepared for another EVA on Tuesday.

This morning’s wakeup music at 11:39 p.m., “One by One” by Wynton Marsalis, was played for Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson, one of the robot arm operators for this morning’s hand off of the P6 truss element between the shuttle and station robot arms.

P6, which was removed from the station during Sunday’s spacewalk, spent the night in a parked position in the grip of Canadarm2, which is based on the station’s Mobile Base System. At 2:08 a.m. CDT Wilson and Pilot George Zamka will fly the shuttle robot arm to grapple P6. Mission Specialist Clay Anderson and Flight Engineer Dan Tani will command the station arm to let go and then they will position the arm for a ride across the station’s truss.

At 4:23 a.m. the Mobile Transporter will begin a 90-minute transit to work site 8, the last stop on the port end of the station’s truss. Once the railcar locks down there, Anderson and Tani will reach out with Canadarm2 and take P6 back from the shuttle arm. It will be held there overnight and then installed on the port end of the truss during the mission’s third spacewalk Tuesday morning.

In between the two handoffs the crews are scheduled for off duty time. After lunch Tani and space station Commander Peggy Whitson will begin outfitting the avionics rack in the Harmony node while Mission Specialist Paolo Nespoli helps spacewalkers Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock prepare the airlock for the next spacewalk.

At 12:43 p.m. shuttle Commander Pam Melroy, Wilson and Anderson will join Whitson, Tani and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko in the Harmony node to talk about the progress of the flight with ABC News, NBC News and CNN News.

The station and space shuttle flight control teams and mission managers are discussing options following the discovery by Tani during yesterday’s spacewalk of particulate matter (of unknown composition) inside the station’s starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint. That joint has been experiencing increased friction during rotation for the past month and a half. Station managers have decided to limit the use of the SARJ while the situation is assessed.

[jacqmans]

MEDIA ADVISORY: 07-150

NASA SETS DISCOVERY, SPACE STATION CREW NEWS CONFERENCE

HOUSTON - The 10 crew members flying aboard the space shuttle
Discovery and the International Space Station will hold a news
conference at 6:48 a.m. CDT on Wednesday, Oct. 31.

Questions from media will be taken from NASA's Johnson Space Center,
Houston; Kennedy Space Center, Fla.; and NASA Headquarters in
Washington. European media in Rome and Russian media in Moscow also
will be able to ask questions during the news conference. Journalists
should contact their preferred site to confirm its availability.

NASA Television will provide live coverage of the 40-minute news
conference. For NASA TV downlink, schedule and streaming video
information on the Web, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

During Discovery's STS-120 mission, astronauts have installed the
Harmony connecting module to the space station, setting the stage for
the arrival of new research laboratories from the European Space
Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on upcoming shuttle
missions. Before the shuttle returns home, the crew also will
relocate a set of solar arrays and test a repair method for the
shuttle's heat shield.

[jacqmans]

Mission: STS-120 - 23rd International Space Station Flight - U.S. Node
2 (Harmony)
Vehicle: Discovery (OV-103)
Location: International Space Station
Launch Date: Targeted for Oct. 23, 2007
Expected KSC Landing Date: Nov. 7, 2007
Crew: Melroy, Zamka, Parazynski, Wheelock, Wilson, Nespoli and Tani
Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles

Today is Flight Day 7 for STS-120. Discovery is on orbit after
launching from Pad 39A at KSC at 11:38 a.m. on Oct. 23.

The mission has been extended one additional day to allow additional
time for further inspection of the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint. Landing
is now scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 7. The deorbit burn will occur
at 2:35 a.m. with landing at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing
Facility at 3:38 a.m. EST.

At Hangar AF on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the initial
inspections and assessments of the pair of solid rocket boosters is
complete, and there are no significant issues or concerns.

[jacqmans]

5 p.m. CDT, Oct. 29, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
 
STS-120 MCC Status Report #14

HOUSTON – As crew members aboard the International Space Station and space shuttle Discovery prepared for the third spacewalk, they learned that the shuttle will spend an extra day in space, with landing now scheduled for just after 4 a.m. Nov. 7.

After analyzing photos of debris found inside the station’s starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint, mission managers today decided to devote the mission’s fourth spacewalk Thursday to further inspection of the joint. That spacewalk originally was dedicated to testing of a shuttle tile repair dispensing “gun,” which has been deferred to a future shuttle mission.

The additional docked day has been inserted between the fourth and fifth spacewalks and provides for some crew off-duty time, along with ample equipment preparation and turnaround for the fifth spacewalk, scheduled for Saturday. Mission flight planners now are working detailed timelines to reflect the decision by the Mission Management Team. Discovery now is scheduled to undock from the station on Nov. 5 and land a week from Wednesday completing the STS-120 mission.

As a precursor to the additional rotary joint inspection spacewalk, Tuesday’s spacewalk by Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock will include a short task to inspect the port rotary joint to provide comparison data to station managers who will spend the night developing procedures for the fourth spacewalk. All other tasks for the third spacewalk remain as trained with the focus being on installation of the P6 truss to its permanent location outboard of the port truss.

Today the crew completed final preparations for the P6 truss installation and continued outfitting and activation of avionics and systems racks inside the Harmony Node. Despite the shutdown of the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly in the U.S. Destiny laboratory, work continues as normal with no interruption to operations with other means of carbon dioxide scrubbing equipment on board.

The crew day ended with Parazynski and Wheelock beginning their routine overnight “campout” in the Quest airlock. They plan to begin the spacewalk at about 4:28 a.m. Tuesday following a wakeup call from Mission Control late tonight about 11:30.

[jacqmans]

12:45 a.m. CDT, Oct. 30, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STS-120 MCC Status Report #15

HOUSTON – Astronauts Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock today install the International Space Station’s P6 truss in its final location. A new task was also added to this third spacewalk of the mission to provide comparison data of the station’s two solar array rotary joints. The spacewalk is set to begin at 3:53 a.m. CDT.

Today’s wakeup music at 11:38 p.m., “Malaguena Salerosa” by Chingon, was played for Pilot George Zamka, who will be operating the shuttle robotic arm.

After analyzing photos of debris found inside the station’s starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint, mission managers decided Parazynski should take time near the end of the spacewalk to inspect the port rotary joint to provide a comparison. The joints rotate the solar arrays to track the sun for electrical power generation. Parazynski will take photographs and samples of any debris he finds for evaluation.

Managers today also decided to devote the mission’s fourth spacewalk on Thursday to additional inspection of the starboard joint. That joint has been experiencing increased friction during rotation for the past month and a half and station managers have limited its use while the situation is assessed.

The fourth spacewalk originally was to test a shuttle tile repair dispensing “gun” known as the T-RAD. That test has been deferred to a future shuttle mission.

During today’s spacewalk, Parazynski and Wheelock will work at the end of the port truss to help station robotic arm operators attach the P6 to its new location on P5. The two will provide verbal cues to Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Dan Tani and Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson as they align the truss.

Once the 17.5 ton truss is in place, Wheelock will secure it with the mechanical capture claw so the two can install the bolts that will permanently hold it and then attach its power source.

Next, the spacewalkers will remove thermal shrouds on P6 and configure the P6 radiator for deployment by ground controllers. Wheelock will also install a spare main bus switching unit on a station storage platform.

Following the spacewalk the giant solar array wings on P6 will be redeployed so they can begin gathering sunlight for power again.

[jacqmans]

5 p.m. CDT, Oct. 30, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STS-120 MCC Status Report #16

HOUSTON – The crew of space shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station executed a flawless spacewalk today, but ran into some unexpected issues afterward.

Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock left the space station at 4:45 a.m. to begin what would be a 7 hour, 8 minute excursion to complete all of their scheduled tasks and a few get-ahead items for future spacewalks.

They were able to install the port 6 – or P6 – truss segment with its set of solar arrays to its permanent home and install a spare main bus switching unit on a stowage platform for future use if needed.

Additionally, Parazynski took a look at the port Solar Alpha Rotary Joint to gather comparison data for the starboard rotary joint, which has been experiencing increased friction over the past month and a half. Parazynski described the joint as being “pristine,” unlike its starboard counterpart, which was found to have some debris inside the joint during a similar inspection on the mission’s second space walk.

As the spacewalk ended, the P6 solar arrays were deployed with one experiencing a tear in a blanket as it reached the 80 percent deployed point. The crew immediately halted the deploy as engineers in Mission Control began a detailed forensics analysis to determine what the next steps would entail.

The current configuration is safe and there is no urgency to solve the problem immediately allowing station managers and engineers plenty of time to understand the problem before taking any action. The other half of the array deployed perfectly with no issues.

Space Station Program Manager Mike Suffredini said the array is currently producing almost as much power as it would be expected to if fully unfurled – just 3 percent less than normal.

“This will take time and needs to be worked,” Suffredini said. “But my personal opinion is we’ve got the time to work this issue, so we can be methodical about it. And we will.”

After reentering the station, Wheelock noticed a small hole in the outer layer of his right glove thumb. Further analysis will dictate the options as he prepares to join Parazynski on the fourth spacewalk Thursday.

The crew is scheduled to spend Wednesday transferring cargo from the shuttle to the station and preparing for the mission’s fourth spacewalk. They will also participate in a news conference, scheduled for 6:48 a.m.

[jacqmans]

12:15 a.m. CDT, Oct. 31, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STS-120 MCC Status Report #17

HOUSTON – Crew members on space shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station will spend today preparing for a spacewalk designed to learn more about the joint that rotates the starboard side solar arrays.

The wakeup song, “Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu” by Domenico Modugno, was played at 11:38 p.m. CDT Tuesday for Mission Specialist Paolo Nespoli, who’s scheduled to receive a congratulatory phone call from the president of Italy at 3:13 a.m. today. The song’s title translates as “In the blue (sky), painted blue;” it is widely known as “Volare.”

Today spacewalkers Scott Parazynski, Doug Wheelock, and spacewalk coordinator Nespoli will review newly written procedures for tomorrow’s fourth spacewalk, devoted to examination of the starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint. They’ll also reconfigure a spacesuit for Parazynski to wear in place of one that was having issues with cooling. Wheelock will use a backup pair of gloves for Thursday’s spacewalk in place of a pair that was damaged during EVA 3.

The starboard SARJ has experienced a slight increase in friction during rotation the past month and a half, and metal shavings were found inside the joint during Sunday’s spacewalk. During Thursday’s spacewalk, the astronauts will remove the covers from the SARJ, inspect the interior, take samples of debris if any is found and look for clues to the root cause of the friction.

Meanwhile, specialists in Houston are working on their next steps to complete deployment of one of the two solar array wings on the P6 truss. That truss was successfully installed on the P5 element during yesterday’s EVA. One of the two solar array wings on P6 was completely deployed, but the other suffered a tear in a solar blanket that prompted a halt to the deploy operations.

International Space Station program officials say the current configuration is safe and note that the array is producing more than 95 percent of the power it would generate if it were fully deployed.

Today station Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Dan Tani will work inside the new Harmony module, deploying the Zero Gravity Stowage Rack and removing the anti-vibration mount launch bracket from the common cabin air assembly.

[jacqmans]

5 p.m. CDT, Oct. 31, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
 
STS-120 MCC Status Report #18

HOUSTON – Space shuttle Discovery astronauts will have an extra day to prepare for their mission’s fourth spacewalk, as the International Space Station Program has changed its priority from inspection of a rotary joint to repair of a solar array.

The spacewalk, planned for Thursday, now has been moved to Friday, or possibly Saturday if extra time is needed for preparation.

The array was left partially deployed on Tuesday, when damage was noted during its deployment. It is currently providing power, but to ensure that the array receives no further damage, it needs to be fully extended.

Station Program Manager Mike Suffredini said finding a way to do so is the priority for the remainder of the mission and plans for possible solutions are already in the works.

“We give this team a little time to start thinking about creative solutions, and it doesn’t take them long to blow you away with what they come up with,” he said.

The inspection of the starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint planned for Thursday will be put off until a later date. The mission’s fifth spacewalk – which had been planned for Saturday – will be performed by the station crew after the shuttle leaves. If the spacewalkers are able to repair the array on Friday, the STS-120 crew of Discovery will then begin preparations for its return to Earth next Wednesday. If they are unable to fix the problem, another spacewalk may be added pending further discussion by station and shuttle management.

The crew spent part of today preparing for the spacewalk they would have taken on Thursday, which will put them ahead of schedule for preparations for Friday’s spacewalk. They also participated in a news conference with reporters from the United States, Italy and Russia.

[jacqmans]

2:30 a.m. CDT, Nov. 1, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas
 
STS-120 MCC Status Report #19

HOUSTON – Space Shuttle Discovery’s astronauts today will assemble and configure tools to repair a torn solar array blanket on the International Space Station’s port truss during the mission’s fourth spacewalk, now scheduled for Saturday.

Wednesday, mission managers decided the astronauts would not inspect the starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint during the spacewalk, changing the priority to mending the torn array. Managers believe the potential exists for further damage to the partially deployed array if the blanket is torn further.

Early Thursday, crewmembers were told the spacewalk would be postponed until Saturday, to give mission managers and engineers additional time to plan the repair activities.

The wakeup song for the eventful day was, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by Robert John. It was played at 11:08 p.m. CDT Wednesday. The song was chosen by the crew’s training team.

The array is currently providing power, but to ensure that the array receives no further damage it needs to be fully extended. NASA engineers have been working around the clock examining the issue and preparing the plan for the spacewalk.

The leading theory is that one of the three guide wires on the array snagged on one of the grommets that it feeds through, starting the tear. Spacewalkers Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock will attempt to remove the snag and transfer the loads carried by the broken hinge by installing straps that the crew will build today.

The crew also will study the spacewalk procedures delivered today and reconfigure a right-hand spare spacesuit glove to better fit Wheelock.

During the spacewalk, Parazynski will be working from the end of the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) grappled by Canadarm2, while Wheelock provides clearance and visual perspective for the robotic arm operator maneuvering Parazynski.

Robotic arm operations to prepare include setting up the station arm for mission control to move the Mobile Transporter from worksite 8, near the P6 segment, to worksite 3, near the center of the station. The OBSS is in better reach of Canadarm2 from worksite 3.

With the spacewalk now planned for Saturday, the schedule still includes the return of Discovery to Earth next Wednesday.

The mission’s fifth spacewalk – which had been planned for Saturday – will be done by the station crew after the shuttle leaves.

[jacqmans]

4 p.m. CDT, Nov. 1, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STS-120 MCC Status Report #20

HOUSTON – The space shuttle Discovery and International Space Station crews spent the day putting together tools and making preparations for Saturday’s spacewalk to repair a torn solar array.

Using strips of aluminum, a hole punch, bolt connector and 66 feet of wire, astronauts constructed solar array hinge stabilizers that should allow them to take the pressure off of the damaged hinges on the solar array. The contraption will work similarly to a cufflink, with the wire fed through a hole on the solar array and the strip of aluminum supporting it from below.

Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski will make the repair while suspended from a boom attached to the space station’s robotic arm, and Mission Specialist Doug Wheelock will assist from the station’s truss. Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson and Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Dan Tani will be operating the station’s robotic arm from the robotic work station inside the Destiny laboratory.

Assuming that the plans can be completed before the crew wakes up at 12:08 a.m. Friday, the spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 5:28 a.m. Saturday. The crew will continue to work on the tools and procedures throughout Friday.

While the ground continued efforts to plan for Saturday’s spacewalk, the crew completed the initial outfitting of the Harmony node. It will remain at its temporary home on the Unity module until later this month when it will be permanently relocated to Destiny. It will serve as the docking port for future science laboratories supplied by the European Space Agency and Japan.

In the midst of all the activity, the two crews were able to take a few minutes out of their work to talk with former President George H.W. Bush as he and his wife Barbara visited the Johnson Space Center and Mission Control.

“We're so very proud of what you're doing,” he told the astronauts.

[jacqmans]

2 a.m. CDT, Nov. 2, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STS-120 MCC Status Report #21

HOUSTON – The space shuttle Discovery and International Space Station crews today will focus on reviewing spacewalk procedures and unberthing the shuttle’s Orbiter Boom Sensor System for Saturday’s spacewalk to repair a torn solar array.

The crews were awakened this morning at 12:08 with the song “World” by Five for Fighting for Mission Specialist Doug Wheelock, who will be performing his third spacewalk on Saturday. Wheelock dedicated the song to the ground support team.

Mission managers decided Wednesday it was important that the station’s P6 solar array be stabilized to prevent further tearing. Engineers have been working around the clock to prepare procedures for the robotic operations, tool configuration and the spacewalk.

During the early hours, ground controllers will move the station’s mobile transporter from the end of the port truss to the truss’ center. From there, Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson and Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Dan Tani will then use the station’s robotic arm to grapple the Orbiter Boom Sensor System. The boom will be handed to the shuttle robotic arm for the night and the mobile transporter will then return to the end of the port truss.

On Saturday, the boom will be transferred back to the station’s arm to allow Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski to reach the torn 4B solar array panel. Parazynski will install five solar array hinge stabilizers, also known as cufflinks, to steady the array. Wheelock will assist from the station’s truss.

Inside the Harmony node, Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson and Mission Specialist Clay Anderson will install a computer router that will be used once the module is moved to its permanent location at the end of the Destiny laboratory. Yesterday, the crew completed the initial outfitting of Harmony.

The STS-120 crew has completed all of the major objectives for this mission, including installing Harmony in a temporary location at the end of the Unity node, relocating the P6 truss from the zenith side of the station to the end of the port truss, and installing a spare main bus switching unit on a storage platform for later use.

[jacqmans]

Mission: STS-120 - 23rd International Space Station Flight - U.S. Node
2 (Harmony)
Vehicle: Discovery (OV-103)
Location: International Space Station
Launch Date: Oct. 23, 2007
Expected KSC Landing Date: Nov. 7, 2007
Crew: Melroy, Zamka, Parazynski, Wheelock, Wilson, Nespoli and Tani
Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles

On orbit, Flight Day 10 for mission STS-120 has been completed.
Planned activities for Flight Day 11 on Saturday involve configuring
Discovery and the International Space Station for the mission's
fourth spacewalk, on which the astronauts will perform solar array
repair activities.

Landing of Discovery at the Kennedy Space Center is currently planned
for Wednesday, Nov. 7. Available landing times are 1:02 p.m. EST on
orbit 238 and 2:35 p.m. EST on orbit 239.

[jacqmans]

5 p.m. CDT, Nov. 2, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STS-120 MCC Status Report #22

HOUSTON – Space shuttle Discovery and International Space Station crew members today finished preparations for Saturday’s spacewalk to repair a torn solar array. The mission’s fourth spacewalk is set to begin about 5:30 a.m.

The astronauts spent the day positioning the station’s mobile transporter and robotic arm at the end of the truss where it will serve as a base and “cherry picker” providing ample reach for the work to free a snag in a solar array panel.

As Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock studied detailed plans for the spacewalk, other crew members assisted by insulating tools with Kapton tape to protect against any electrical currents.

Late in the crew day, the crew reviewed the procedures with Mission Control prior to going to bed. Parazynski and Wheelock will spend the night in the Quest airlock to prepare for the spacewalk focusing on the solar array repair.

As with other spacewalks during the mission, Saturday’s could begin early depending entirely on the crew’s final preparations that begin shortly after waking up at 12:38 a.m. Saturday.

The 6½ -hour spacewalk begins with Parazynski riding the robotic arm up to the damaged area of the array. He will be secured in a foot restraint on the end of the Orbiter Boom and Sensor System – the extension to the shuttle robot arm used for inspection of the orbiter’s thermal protection system.

Though this will be the first operational use of the OBSS to reach a worksite, the task was demonstrated during a spacewalk on the STS-121 mission in July 2006 to prove the boom could provide a stable environment for this type of work.

As Parazynski installs homemade stabilizers and releases the snag suspected of causing the tear in the array panel, Wheelock will assist from the base of the solar array. The distance from the station’s center is about 165 feet out on the truss and approximately 90 feet up to the damaged site.

If all goes as planned, the crew inside will then deploy the array half a bay at a time while Parazynski watches for any new complications. The spacewalk is scheduled to wrap up about noon.

The astronauts should then be able to spend Sunday preparing to leave the station with Discovery’s undocking scheduled early Monday morning. Landing is set for just after noon on Wednesday.

[jacqmans]

2 a.m. CDT, Nov. 3, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STS-120 MCC Status Report #23

HOUSTON – Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock today will work to repair a torn solar array on the farthest end of the International Space Station’s port truss in the fourth spacewalk of the STS-120 mission.

That spacewalk is slated to begin about 5:30 a.m., but could begin as early as 5 a.m. if the crew’s final preparations move quickly as they have for the rest of the mission’s spacewalks.

The crews of Space Shuttle Discovery and the station were awakened this morning at 12:38 with composer John Williams’ theme song from the original “Star Wars“ movie trilogy. The song was played for Parazynski.

Parazynski and Wheelock spent the evening in the Quest airlock at a lower air pressure to get ready for the 6.5-hour spacewalk. Yesterday, the two reviewed the detailed plans for the spacewalk with flight controllers and engineers who have been working around the clock to prepare the plan.

The day will begin with a hand-off of the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) from the shuttle’s robotic arm to the station arm. The OBSS is an extension to the shuttle arm used for inspection of the orbiter’s thermal protection system. This will be the first time the OBSS will be used to reach a worksite, which was simulated on STS-121 in July 2006.

Parazynski will take a 45-minute ride on the mated OBSS to the damaged area of the array, estimated to be about 90 feet up from the P6 truss, to repair the tear in the 4B panel of the array. One of his first tasks will be to test the dynamics of the work platform to better understand how it will move as he moves. Once he arrives at the worksite, Parazynski will install homemade stabilizers and release the snag suspected of causing the tear in the array panel. Wheelock will assist from the base of the solar array.

If all goes as planned, the crew inside will then deploy the array half a bay at a time while Parazynski watches for any new complications. The spacewalk is scheduled to wrap up about Noon.

The astronauts should then be able to spend Sunday preparing to leave the station with Discovery’s undocking scheduled early Monday morning. Landing is set for just after Noon on Wednesday.

[jacqmans]

4 p.m. CDT, Nov. 3, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STS-120 MCC Status Report #24

HOUSTON – With a few pieces of aluminum and a little bit of wire, Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski today repaired a damaged solar array during a spacewalk that lasted 7 hours, 19 minutes.

Parazynski and fellow spacewalker Doug Wheelock left the International Space Station at 5:03 a.m., and spent about an hour and a half riding the station’s robotic arm out to the torn array – about 165 feet down the station’s truss and 90 feet up to the damage.

Once there, Parazynski cut a snagged wire and installed homemade stabilizers designed to strengthen the array’s structure and stability in the vicinity of the damage. Wheelock helped from the truss by keeping an eye on the distance between Parazynski and the array.

They completed the repair just after 10 a.m., and then stood back to watch for complications as flight controllers on the ground finished the deploy, which began on Tuesday. The delicate deploy sequence called for the array mast to be deployed one half bay at a time. Fifteen minutes and 13 computer commands later, the array was fully extended.

“One of the most satisfying days that I’ve ever had in Mission Control,” Derek Hassman, lead station flight director, said of the operation.

Parazynski and Wheelock then made their way back to the station’s airlock, to end the spacewalk at 12:22 p.m.

The array repair became the priority of space shuttle Discovery’s mission on Tuesday, after two tears were noticed during the array’s unfurling. Teams on the ground worked around the clock to develop a plan for the repair, and the crew spent much of the past two days studying and making tools.

With that task behind them, the shuttle’s crew will prepare to leave the station. They’ll complete final transfer work, say their farewells, and close the hatch between the shuttle and the station at 12:43 p.m. CST Sunday.

Monday will be another busy day with undocking scheduled for 4:32 a.m. followed by a fly around of the station and an inspection of the shuttle’s heat shield.

[jacqmans]

2 a.m. CDT, Nov. 4, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STS-120 MCC Status Report #25

HOUSTON – The astronauts on space shuttle Discovery got up this morning prepared to complete the final cargo transfers between the two vehicles and bid farewell to the Expedition 16 crew.

Farewells are scheduled to begin at 12:28 p.m. CST, followed by hatch closing at 12:43 p.m. CST.

The crews of Discovery and the International Space Station were awakened before the change from daylight to standard time. The crew was roused at 1:08 a.m. CDT with the song “The Presence of the Lord,” written by gospel musician Kurt Carr, originally recorded by Byron Cage. Cage’s rendition was played for Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson.

After the transfers are complete the two crews will enjoy some well-deserved time off before they bid farewell. The most important transfer from station to shuttle is the return of astronaut Clay Anderson. Anderson, who joined the station’s Expedition 15 crew in June, is being replaced by Dan Tani, who arrived at the station with the STS-120 crew.

Yesterday, Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski repaired a damaged solar array during a spacewalk that lasted 7 hours, 19 minutes. Fellow spacewalker Doug Wheelock helped from the truss by keeping an eye on the distance between Parazynski and the array.

The repair was completed at just after 10 a.m. Friday and then the crew deployed the P6 array to its full extension. The array repair became the priority of space shuttle Discovery’s mission on Tuesday after two tears were noticed during the array’s unfurling.

The spacewalk was the 4th of the STS-120 mission and the 96th in support of station assembly and maintenance.

Monday will be another busy day with undocking scheduled for 4:32 a.m. CST followed by a fly around of the station and an inspection of the shuttle’s heat shield. Landing is set for just after noon on Wednesday.

[jacqmans]

2:15 p.m. CST, Nov. 4, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STS-120 MCC Status Report #26

HOUSTON –Spacefarers aboard Discovery and the International Space Station congratulated one another on a successful docked mission, shared hugs and farewells and closed the hatches 210 miles above the Pacific Northwest at 2:03 p.m. CST.

With Dan Tani now a member of the station’s Expedition 16 crew and Clay Anderson now a member of the STS-120 crew, the two teams then began getting ready for Monday’s 4:32 a.m. CST undocking.

Before closing the hatches, Commander Pam Melroy and her STS-120 crew – Pilot George Zamka, Mission Specialists Paolo Nespoli, Scott Parazynski, Doug Wheelock, Stephanie Wilson and Anderson – transferred final items to the shuttle. A total of 2,020 pounds of equipment and scientific samples is being returned to Earth. Included among the cargo are metal filings that may help engineers narrow down the cause of resistance in the starboard solar arrays rotary joint.

Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson, and Flight Engineers Yuri Malenchenko and Tani made sure that all 33,834 pounds of items delivered by Discovery – including the 31,648-pound Harmony module and 2,186 pounds of supplies and equipment – were accounted for on the station.

The port solar array repaired by Parazynski and Wheelock during a Saturday spacewalk is generating electricity but flight controllers are continuing tests before they begin using power from the relocated, repaired and redeployed 4B array to the station’s systems. The station already is using power from the other relocated and redeployed array, 2B.

Whitson and Malenchenko will have a day-and-a-half of rest wrapped around a day of preparations for their first of three spacewalks on Friday. That spacewalk will be devoted to preparing Pressurized Mating Adapter 2 for its move from the end of the Destiny module to the Harmony module. Whitson and Malenchenko were scheduled to do the work while Discovery was docked, but schedule adjustments due to the solar array repair spacewalk moved it later.

[jacqmans]

2:45 a.m. CST, Nov. 5, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STS-120 MCC Status Report #27

HOUSTON – All systems are go for this morning’s undocking of space shuttle Discovery from the International Space Station, completing 11 days of joint docked operations that saw the successful delivery of a new pressurized module and the repair of a damaged solar array wing.

The shuttle crew members got their wakeup call at 1:08 a.m. CST with “Roll Me Away” by Bob Seger, played for Pilot George Zamka, who will be at the controls of Discovery when it undocks from the station at 4:32 a.m.

Discovery will move in front of the station to a range of 400 feet, and then Zamka will begin a full one lap fly-around so his crewmates can get video and digital still imagery of the newly-configured station. The new features include the Harmony module docked to the Unity node, and the P6 Truss element, with both solar array wings fully deployed, at its permanent location on the port end of the truss.

When the shuttle again crosses directly in front of the station, Zamka will fire the reaction control system jets to begin Discovery’s separation. He’ll make the final separation jet firing at 6:15 a.m. to start Discovery’s trip home.

Late this morning Zamka will join Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski, Stephanie Wilson and Paolo Nespoli and Commander Pam Melroy at the controls of the shuttle robot arm to conduct a late inspection of the shuttle’s thermal protection system using the Orbiter Boom Sensor System. The crew will re-examine the reinforced carbon-carbon panels on both wings and the nose cap for any evidence of damage from orbital debris.

Mission Specialist Clay Anderson, who has been in space since his launch to the International Space Station in June, is scheduled for exercise today and tomorrow to help prepare his body to feel the pull of gravity again. Discovery is targeted to land at the Kennedy Space Center Wednesday at 12:02 p.m. CST.

[jacqmans]

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-153

NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY SET TO LAND WEDNESDAY

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The space shuttle Discovery crew is scheduled
to complete a 15-day mission to the International Space Station with
a landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on Wednesday,
Nov. 7.

The STS-120 mission began Oct. 23 and delivered the Harmony module to
the station, relocated the P6 truss and featured four spacewalks.

During the fourth spacewalk, the crew repaired a torn solar array on
the P6 truss, enabling them to fully deploy the array.

NASA managers will evaluate weather conditions at Kennedy before
permitting Discovery to return to Earth. Wednesday landing
opportunities are at 1:01 p.m. and 2:36 p.m. EST. The backup landing
sites at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and White Sands Space
Harbor, N.M., will not be activated on Wednesday

Two hours after landing, NASA officials will hold a briefing to
discuss the mission. The tentative participants will be:

- NASA Administrator Michael Griffin
- NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier
- NASA Space Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach

After touchdown, the astronauts will undergo physical examinations and
meet with their families. Some crew members are scheduled to hold a
news conference six hours after returning to Earth.

The Kennedy press site will open for landing activities at 8 a.m.
Wednesday and close one hour after the crew news conference. The
STS-120 accreditation badges are in effect through landing. The press
accreditation building on State Road 3 will be open on Wednesday from
8 to 11 a.m. The last bus will depart from the press site for the
Shuttle Landing Facility one hour before landing. For updated
information about the landing, call 321-867-2525.

If weather prevents a Kennedy landing Wednesday, NASA will activate
backup landing sites for attempts on Thursday. Dryden has limited
facilities available to previously accredited journalists. For
further information, journalists should call the Dryden Public
Affairs Office at 661-276-3449.

If White Sands Space Harbor is called up for strong consideration as a
shuttle landing site, media desiring credentials there should contact
the White Sands Missile Range Public Affairs Office at 505-678-1134.
Journalists with STS-120 mission badges from NASA will be issued
credentials.

[jacqmans]

5 p.m. CST, Nov. 5, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

 
STS-120 MCC Status Report #28

HOUSTON – Space shuttle Discovery’s crew left the International Space Station this morning after almost 11 days of joint operations with the Expedition 16 crew. After inspecting the orbiter’s heat shield for any micrometeoroid damage, the astronauts turned their attention to returning home on Wednesday.

Tuesday the shuttle crew will spend its last full day on orbit testing Discovery’s flight control systems and maneuvering thrusters while final packing winds up a memorable assembly flight to the station.

With all systems checked out, the STS-120 crew will bring Clay Anderson home after 152 days in space on Wednesday to one of two landing opportunities available at the Kennedy Space Center at 12:02 p.m. and 1:36 p.m. CST. Weather forecasters predict favorable landing conditions once a cold front passes through late Tuesday night. The backup landing sites at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and White Sands Space Harbor, N.M., will not be considered Wednesday.

Under the control of Pilot George Zamka, Discovery backed away from the station at 4:32 a.m., completing 10 days, 21 hours and 52 minutes of docked operations. The historic flight saw Discovery’s crew deliver the Harmony Node and relocate a solar array to increase power generation. Unforeseen damage to the array was repaired during a dramatic spacewalk following three days of engineering analysis, testing and plan preparation on the ground.

The mission sets the stage for the next component of the station to be delivered. Space shuttle Atlantis is prepared to roll to the launch pad this weekend for final processing toward launch of the European Space Agency science laboratory “Columbus.” The STS-122 launch remains targeted for early December.

[jacqmans]

4 a.m. CST, Nov. 6, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

 
STS-120 MCC Status Report #29

HOUSTON – Landing preparations are the order of the day for the seven astronauts on space shuttle Discovery, who are planning to conclude a two-week mission with a Wednesday landing at the Kennedy Space Center.

The crew’s 1:38 a.m. CST wakeup call was “Space Truckin’” by Deep Purple, played for Mission Specialist Clay Anderson, who will wrap up a five-month mission to the International Space Station when Discovery lands. The crew will start routine deorbit preparations and cabin stowage three hours later.

At 4:23 a.m. Commander Pam Melroy, Pilot George Zamka and Mission Specialist and Flight Engineer Stephanie Wilson will power up an auxiliary power unit to conduct a checkout of the orbiter’s flight control surfaces. At 5:33 a.m. they start a test firing of each of the shuttle’s reaction control system jets.

The shuttle astronauts take a break from packing at 8:43 a.m. to talk about the flight with the Associated Press, Space.com, and the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star, before they return to packing. At 1:18 p.m. mission specialists Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock will set up a recumbent seat on the middeck for Anderson to use during entry and landing. Zamka is scheduled to stow the Ku-band communications antenna at 3:03 p.m.

The International Space Station’s crew is enjoying a day off duty before starting a heavy schedule of spacewalks and robotics activities which kick off with a spacewalk by Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko Friday morning. NASA-TV will host an Expedition 16 Mission Status Briefing at 11 a.m. today featuring the lead flight director, increment manager and lead spacewalk officer to preview the activities. The goal of the work is the relocation of the Harmony module so the station will be ready to receive the European laboratory module on the next shuttle flight, targeted to launch in early December.

[jacqmans]

3 p.m. CST, Nov. 6, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

 
STS-120 MCC Status Report #30

HOUSTON – The seven astronauts on board space shuttle Discovery completed final preparations today for their return home with landing planned for the first of two opportunities to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, at 12:02 p.m. Wednesday.

In preparation for the return home, the crew tested flight control systems and thruster jets, stowed equipment and installed a special reclining seat for Clay Anderson, who is returning after more than five months on board the International Space Station. Later, the crew oversaw an orbit adjust maneuver to optimize landing opportunities with weather forecasts indicating favorable conditions for Wednesday’s landing.

Early Wednesday morning, Entry Team Flight Director Bryan Lunney and his team will oversee Discovery’s reentry and landing with the deorbit burn set for 10:59 a.m. The 1 minute, 58 second burn will slow Discovery by 148 miles per hour (217 feet per second) for the reentry across the heartland of the United States traveling from the northwest to southeast.

A second landing opportunity also is available about 90 minutes later. Lunney will consider Florida only for Wednesday’s landing attempts with plenty of consumables on board to stay in space through Saturday, if necessary.

After its final on-orbit wakeup call from Mission Control at 1:38 a.m. Wednesday, the crew will begin landing preparations at 7:03 a.m. and close Discovery’s payload bay doors at 11:42 a.m. for reentry.

Aboard the space station, Commander Peggy Whitson, and Flight Engineers Yuri Malenchenko and Dan Tani had some off duty time before their full-court press toward Friday’s spacewalk by Whitson and Malenchenko to prepare Pressurized Mating Adapter 2 for its relocation Nov. 12.

[jacqmans]

4 a.m. CST, Nov. 7, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STS-120 MCC Status Report #31

HOUSTON – The astronauts on space shuttle Discovery are only hours away from a landing in Florida that will conclude a successful 15-day mission that delivered a new module and repaired a damaged solar array on the International Space Station.

This morning’s wakeup song, “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” by Sherman and Sherman, was played at 1:38 a.m. CST for Commander Pam Melroy.

Deorbit preparations begin at 7:03 a.m. and the crew should get the okay to close the payload bay doors at 8:19 a.m. If systems are good and the weather cooperates, Melroy will conduct the deorbit burn at 10:59 a.m. That will slow Discovery enough to fall out of orbit to begin its descent toward a landing at the Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility at 12:01 p.m. CST.

A landing on that opportunity will wrap up Mission Specialist Clay Anderson’s flight to the International Space Station after 152 days in space.

There is another landing opportunity on the following orbit, which would put touchdown at 1:36 p.m. CST.

Aboard the International Space Station today, Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineers Yuri Malenchenko and Dan Tani will review the plan for Friday’s spacewalk. Whitson and Malenchenko will undo connections between the Destiny laboratory and Pressurized Mating Adapter 2, in advance of robotics operations next week. That work will relocate PMA-2 to the new Harmony module, then move both of them into place on the front of the lab.

[jacqmans]

RELEASE: 07-249

SHUTTLE DISCOVERY CREW RETURNS HOME AFTER SUCCESSFUL MISSION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The space shuttle Discovery and its crew landed
at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on Wednesday at 1:01 p.m. EST
after completing a 15-day journey of more than 6.2 million miles in
space. Discovery's STS-120 mission added a key component to the
International Space Station and featured an unprecedented spacewalk
to repair a damaged solar array.

"This mission demonstrates the value of having humans in space and our
ingenuity in solving problems," said Bill Gerstenmaier, associate
administrator for space operations, NASA Headquarters, Washington.
"The teams on the ground worked around the clock, along with the
crews in space, to develop a plan to fix the array. Our high level of
preparedness gave us the edge necessary to make this a successful
mission."

Discovery's crew of Commander Pam Melroy, Pilot George Zamka and
mission specialists Scott Parazynski, Doug Wheelock, Stephanie
Wilson, Clayton Anderson and European Space Agency astronaut Paolo
Nespoli delivered the Node 2 module, known as Harmony. Harmony will
provide attachment points for European and Japanese laboratories to
be added later this year and early in 2008.

In addition to Harmony's installation, Discovery's crew performed
three spacewalks and relocated the P6 truss and solar arrays to its
permanent position on the left side of the station. During the fourth
spacewalk, the crew repaired a torn solar array on the truss,
enabling the full deployment of the array.

The crew and ground teams also worked on a problem with one of the
station's Solar Alpha Rotary Joints, which allows the right side
arrays to track the sun. On the second spacewalk, the joint was
inspected, and metal shavings were discovered. Samples of the
shavings returned with Discovery for further analysis. In the
meantime, use of the joint will be limited to occasional adjustments
for optimal position in relation to the sun.

Melroy and Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson made history on
Thursday, Oct. 25, when the hatch between the space shuttle and
orbiting outpost was opened. They became the first female spacecraft
commanders to lead space shuttle and space station missions
concurrently.

NASA astronaut and station Flight Engineer Daniel Tani, who launched
with the crew aboard Discovery, remained on the station. He is
scheduled to return home aboard space shuttle Atlantis on a mission
targeted to launch Dec. 6. Tani replaced Anderson, who spent almost
five months on the station, arriving in June 2007 aboard shuttle
Atlantis.

Several inspections in orbit revealed no critical damage to Discovery,
and the shuttle's thermal protection system was declared safe for
re-entry on Tuesday. Workers immediately will begin processing the
orbiter for its next flight, targeted for April 2008.

With Discovery and its crew safely home, the stage is set for the next
phase of station assembly. Before Atlantis' STS-122 mission delivers
the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory module to the
station, Harmony must be relocated to its permanent location at the
front of the complex. The station crew will conduct three spacewalks
and robotically move two components this month to complete that task,
allowing Atlantis to dock and Columbus to attach to Harmony.

For more about the STS-120 mission and the upcoming STS-122 mission,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

[jacqmans]

2 p.m. CST, Nov. 7, 2007
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

 
STS-120 MCC Status Report #32

After 6.25 million miles and 15 days, space shuttle Discovery landed safely in Florida completing its 34th mission and circling the Earth 238 times.

Under command of astronaut Pam Melroy, the shuttle touched down on runway 33 at 12:01 p.m., after the 23rd mission to the International Space Station.

Discovery’s crew – Melroy, Pilot George Zamka and mission specialists Scott Parazynski, Stephanie Wilson, Doug Wheelock, Paolo Nespoli and Clay Anderson – will return to Houston Thursday. A welcoming ceremony for the crew is planned for 4 p.m. at NASA’s Hangar 276 on the south end of Ellington Field.

During the record stay at the station, Discovery delivered the Harmony Node with its 2,600 cubic feet of pressurized volume. Left in a temporary location while the shuttle occupied its permanent home on the Destiny laboratory, Harmony will be prepared for relocation by the Expedition 16 crew over the next three weeks before the next shuttle mission arrives.

“We could not have done this mission without Discovery being as clean and wonderful as it was. The whole agency had to pull together for this mission,” Melroy said on the runway flanked by Discovery.

Station commander Peggy Whitson along with Flight Engineers Yuri Malenchenko and Dan Tani will oversee the work to configure station systems for the arrival of a new science laboratory supplied by the European Space Agency next month. Tani exchanged places with Anderson, who spent 152 days in space – 148 of which were onboard the station.

The STS-120 Discovery crew also moved the port 6 truss – or P6 –segment and its accompanying solar arrays to its permanent home at the end of the stations truss, and repaired damage done to the solar array as it was being redeployed.

Next up is Atlantis, which is scheduled to roll to the launch pad Saturday. It will carry ESA’s Columbus laboratory to the station in early December on the STS-122 mission. Discovery will be towed by to its processing hangar this afternoon to begin preparations for its STS-124 mission in April 2008.

[jacqmans]

Discovery's return marks completion of Esperia Mission

   
7 November 2007
 
Space Shuttle Discovery landed in Cape Canaveral, Florida this evening at 19:01 CET (18:01 UT), completing one of the most complex assembly missions to the International Space Station to date, bringing back seven crew members, including ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli.
 
Discovery's return marks the completion of the STS-120 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). During their stay the STS-120 crew continued construction of the Station with the delivery of the Italian-built Node 2 module and the relocation of the P6 truss. For ESA the landing also marks the completion of Nespoli's Esperia Mission.
Node 2, also known as Harmony, was installed on the port facing side of Node 1 (Unity) on 26 October during the first of four spacewalks. The P6 truss was relocated from the top of the Station to the port end of the Station's backbone structure.
 

The tasks during the fourth spacewalk were changed so that the crew could repair the solar array on the P6 truss which tore during deployment. Following the successful repair work, the crew was able to fully deploy the solar array. A fifth spacewalk originally planned to take place during the STS-120 mission is now scheduled for the Expedition crew on 9 November.

ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli's main role as STS-120 Mission Specialist was to act as Intra Vehicular (IV) astronaut during the four spacewalks, coordinating activities from inside the International Space Station, as well as a major role in spacewalk preparations. He was also heavily involved in activities to reschedule the fourth spacewalk.

Nespoli’s mission, which was named Esperia from the ancient Greek name for the Italian peninsula, stems from six flight opportunities granted to the Italian Space Agency (ASI) for their provision of three pressurised cargo containers (Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules, or MPLMs) to NASA under a bilateral agreement. The close cooperation between ESA and ASI led to the assignment of Nespoli, a member of the European Astronaut Corps, for this ASI flight opportunity.

[jacqmans]

Report #J07-018

NASA ASTRONAUT ANDERSON RETURNS HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

HOUSTON - Home for the holidays has a whole new meaning when home is the planet you returned to just last week. But that is what astronaut Clay Anderson has done, landing Nov. 7 after five months in orbit aboard the International Space Station, just in time for a holiday season with his family.

"Seeing my family after several months aboard the station has taught me a new meaning of the word 'thanksgiving,'" Anderson said. "We had a tremendously successful expedition during my time aboard the station, and it is really heartwarming to be able to complete my mission, come back to Earth with a great crew and relax and enjoy the season with loved ones."

Anderson is available for interviews about his experience. To schedule an interview, contact Gayle Frere at [email protected] or 281-483-5111.

Anderson served as part of the Expedition 15 crew aboard the station after launching on mission STS-117 aboard the space shuttle Atlantis on June 8, 2007. While aboard the station, Anderson conducted several spacewalks and helped relocate the shuttle's docking port using the station's robotic arm. His work has helped the station begin the first expansion of its living and working space in more than six years.

Anderson returned to Earth aboard the shuttle Discovery, which completed a challenging solar array repair and attached the Harmony connecting module to the complex. The additional power from the arrays and the new Harmony's berthing ports will allow international science labs from Europe and Japan to be launched during the next few months.

Anderson joined NASA's Johnson Space Center in 1983 in the mission planning and analysis division where he performed rendezvous and proximity operations trajectory designs for shuttle missions. In 1998, he was selected as an astronaut. For Anderson's full biography, including a profile, interview and personal logs he compiled while aboard the station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition15/index.html

[jacqmans]

Report #J07-020  

ASTRONAUTS TO RELIVE MISSION FOR THE PUBLIC DEC. 10

HOUSTON -  The astronauts of space shuttle Discovery's STS-120 mission will relive their flight for the public, friends and coworkers in  a special post-flight presentation at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 10 in the Mazda Theater at Space Center Houston.
 
Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the 580-seat theater fills, guests will be seated in an adjacent area to watch the program on closed-circuit television.  
 
During the program, the astronauts will give a first-hand account of their recent flight to the International Space Station. The crew presentation will include photos, video and a question and answer session. Following the presentation, there will be a brief autograph session.
 
STS-120 was a 6.2-million-mile mission to the International Space Station launched Oct. 23. During the mission, the crew delivered the Harmony module and repaired damage done to a solar array as it was being redeployed. After 15 days, space shuttle Discovery landed in Florida completing its 34th mission and circling the Earth 238 times.
 
Retired Air Force Col. Pam Melroy commanded STS-120. Melroy, a veteran shuttle pilot, was the second woman to command a shuttle. Marine Corps Col. George Zamka served as pilot. The flight's mission specialists were Scott Parazynski, Army Col. Doug Wheelock, Stephanie Wilson and Paolo Nespoli, a European Space Agency astronaut from Italy.  
 
 For more information, contact Brenda Cabaniss, publicist, Astronaut Appearances Office, at 281-244-8860.  
 
For more information about STS-120, visit:  
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts120
 
For more information on NASA, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov

[jacqmans]

MEDIA ADVISORY: M08-041

SHUTTLE CREW TO VISIT NASA HEADQUARTERS, AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS

WASHINGTON - One week after the landing of space shuttle Atlantis and
its crew, NASA Headquarters in Washington is preparing to welcome the
astronauts of the STS-120 crew, which wrapped up a mission to the
International Space Station in November.

That 15-day mission added a key component to the station, the Harmony
module, and featured an unprecedented spacewalk to repair a damaged
solar array.

Six of the STS-120 crew members will share mission highlights with
NASA employees, their families and media at NASA Headquarters' James
E. Webb Auditorium, 300 E. Street, S.W., on Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 10
a.m. EST. The crew's presentation will air live on NASA Television's
public and media channels. The astronauts will be available for news
media interviews. Interested reporters should contact Michael Curie
at 202-358-4715 by 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb.25.

The STS-120 crew members who will attend the event are: Commander Pam
Melroy, Pilot George Zamka and mission specialists Scott Parazynski,
Doug Wheelock, Stephanie Wilson and European Space Agency astronaut
Paolo Nespoli.

Zamka attended college in the Washington area. He received a
bachelor's degree in mathematics from the United States Naval
Academy, Annapolis, Md., in 1984. His biography is available at:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/zamka.html

The astronauts also will attend a reception in honor of crew member
Paolo Nespoli at the Embassy of Italy, 3000 Whitehaven St., N.W., on
Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m. Media are invited to attend, but must RSVP to
Simona Massobrio-Howe of the embassy at 202-612-4447.

For more information on NASA TV and links to streaming video, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv