STS 123 FD/2

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FD/1 complete

Circling the globe aboard space shuttle Endeavour, the STS-123 crew members have completed their first full day in space. The astronauts inspected the orbiter’s heat shield and prepared for their arrival at the International Space Station tonight at 11:25 p.m. EDT.

Crew members used the shuttle’s robotic arm and Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) to check out the underside of Endeavour and the leading edges of its wings. The purpose of this inspection was to ensure that, during the vehicle’s climb to orbit, no damage occurred to the tiles that protect Endeavour from the heat of reentry.

Endeavour’s crew also extended the Orbiter Docking System Ring and checked out rendezvous tools in preparation for their arrival at the station.

The STS-123 astronauts checked out spacesuits they will use during the mission’s five scheduled spacewalks at the station. Three of these will include tasks devoted to assembly of Dextre, the Canadian Space Agency’s newest contribution to the station and the final element of its Mobile Servicing System, and installation of related equipment. The spacewalkers also will work to unberth from Endeavour’s payload bay the Japanese Logistics Module - Pressurized Section, the first element of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory.

Other spacewalk activities include the installation of spare parts, tools and a materials experiment, as well as the replacement of a circuit-breaker box and demonstration of a repair procedure for tiles of the shuttle’s heat shield. The astronauts also will stow the OBSS onto the station’s main truss during the fifth spacewalk.
 
From CTV Possible foam strike

As the shuttle closed in on the orbiting outpost, the crew used a 100-foot laser-tipped boom to inspect its wings and nose for any sign of launch damage. The inspection has been standard procedure ever since the 2003 Columbia disaster, in which seven astronauts died.

Flight director Mike Moses said a quick look at the images the astronauts beamed down to Earth revealed no signs of trouble, but engineers will spend Wednesday poring over the data.

Cameras captured a possible strike to Endeavour's nose 10 seconds after liftoff, but Moses said he wasn't worried because the ship wasn't traveling fast enough at that time to sustain serious damage.

He said it was too early to tell whether the material came off the ship and whether or not it actually struck the shuttle. Engineers will analyze video captured during launch to try to answer those questions.

Additionally, a significant piece of foam or other debris came off Endeavour's tank just over a minute into the flight. It appeared to miss the right wing.

Endeavour's crew and the three space station residents face a grueling schedule once their spacecraft docks. They will perform five spacewalks, the most ever planned during a shuttle visit.

The spacewalking teams must assemble Canada's robot, Dextre, which was packed aboard Endeavour in nine pieces, and attach a Japanese storage compartment to the space station. It is the first installment of Japan's massive Kibo lab, which means Hope.

The main part of the Kibo lab will fly on the next shuttle mission in May, with the final installment, a porch for outdoor experiments, going up next year.
 
STS-123 Completes First Full Day in Space

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Image above: A look inside the payload bay of space shuttle Endeavour. Credit: NASA TV

Circling the globe aboard space shuttle Endeavour, the STS-123 crew members have completed their first full day in space. The astronauts inspected the orbiter’s heat shield and prepared for their arrival at the International Space Station tonight at 11:25 p.m. EDT.

Crew members used the shuttle’s robotic arm and Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) to check out the underside of Endeavour and the leading edges of its wings. The purpose of this inspection was to ensure that, during the vehicle’s climb to orbit, no damage occurred to the tiles that protect Endeavour from the heat of reentry.

Endeavour’s crew also extended the Orbiter Docking System Ring and checked out rendezvous tools in preparation for their arrival at the station.

The STS-123 astronauts checked out spacesuits they will use during the mission’s five scheduled spacewalks at the station. Three of these will include tasks devoted to assembly of Dextre, the Canadian Space Agency’s newest contribution to the station and the final element of its Mobile Servicing System, and installation of related equipment. The spacewalkers also will work to unberth from Endeavour’s payload bay the Japanese Logistics Module - Pressurized Section, the first element of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory.

Other spacewalk activities include the installation of spare parts, tools and a materials experiment, as well as the replacement of a circuit-breaker box and demonstration of a repair procedure for tiles of the shuttle’s heat shield. The astronauts also will stow the OBSS onto the station’s main truss during the fifth spacewalk.
 
Endeavour to Arrive at Space Station Today

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Image above: Mission Specialist Rick Linnehan drinks a beverage on the middeck of Space Shuttle Endeavour. Mission Specialist Garrett Reisman is at right. Credit: NASA

As its pursuit of the International Space Station draws to a close, the crew members of space shuttle Endeavour are getting ready to dock with the orbital outpost. Commander Dominic Gorie and Pilot Gregory H. Johnson will guide the shuttle to link up with the station at 11:25 p.m. EDT.

About an hour before docking, Gorie and Johnson will guide the shuttle through a back-flip maneuver, giving the Expedition 16 crew the opportunity to take pictures of the orbiter’s protective heat-resistant tiles. These photos will be sent to engineers on Earth for analysis.

After Endeavour docks, the STS-123 and Expedition 16 crews will conduct pressure and leak checks before the hatches between the two spacecraft open a little after 1:00 a.m. Thursday. They will greet each other and begin joint operations.

Mission Specialist Garrett Reisman will join the Expedition 16 crew, trading places with Flight Engineer Léopold Eyharts, a European Space Agency astronaut. The crews will then prepare for the first of five scheduled STS-123 spacewalks, which Mission Specialist Rick Linnehan and Reisman will begin at 9:23 p.m. Thursday.

In addition, the STS-123 crew will install the Canadian-built Dextre – the final element of the station’s Mobile Servicing System – and the Japanese Logistics Module - Pressurized Section, which is the first component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory.
 
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