Space Shuttle Endeavour Landing

Watch Space Shuttle Endeavour Landing
* LIVE this evening *
On NASA TELEVISION
Wednesday evening, March 26, 2008

Image above: Space shuttle Endeavour's second landing opportunity at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., occurs on orbit 249.
Image Credit: NASA
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1st Landing Attempt at 6:05pm CDT Delayed
Next Opportunity at 7:39pm CDT

Unstable weather in the Kennedy Space Center area forced flight controllers to pass on STS-123’s first landing opportunity.

The Spaceflight Meteorology Group continues to monitor weather conditions at and around the Shuttle Landing Facility at the Florida spaceport.

If flight controllers give STS-123 the go-ahead to land on the second opportunity, Orbit 249, Commander Dominic Gorie and Pilot Gregory H. Johnson will fire Endeavour’s thrusters at 6:33pm CDT to begin the descent to Florida for a landing at 7:39pm CDT.
UPDATE: 6:40pm CDT
Space Shuttle Endeavour Coming Home!!!
Space shuttle Endeavour has fired its engines, slowing it enough to drop out of orbit. Commander Dominic Gorie and Pilot Gregory H. Johnson are guiding the shuttle on its descent to Kennedy Space Center, Fla., where it is scheduled to land at 7:39pm CDT...

Info taken from the NASA.gov website
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Read Latest News and Updates
at NASA.gov

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Watch Landing Live
HERE
ENJOY!!!
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UPDATE: 7:45pm CDT
Space Shuttle Endeavour Lands Safely
Welcome Home!
AubreyJ.........

Endeavour Crew Prepares for Landing

Endeavour Crew Prepares for Landing

Tuesday, March 25, 2008 About Photo: The International Space Station is pictured from space shuttle Endeavour as the two spacecraft separate after undocking.

Photo Credit: NASA
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The crew of space shuttle Endeavour is spending today getting ready for its journey home and the end of the STS-123 mission. Among the preparations is a test of the thrusters that will be used to position the orbiter for re-entry and the control surfaces for its flight through the atmosphere.

After this testing is complete, the crew members will speak to members of the media on Earth.
The STS-123 astronauts also will set up the recumbent seat for Mission Specialist Léopold Eyharts, who joined the crew of Endeavour on the International Space Station. The recumbent seat is a special seat designed to reduce the stress of gravity on those who have spent long periods of time in the weightless environment of space.

STS-123 arrived at the station March 12, delivering the Japanese Logistics Module - Pressurized Section, the first pressurized component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory, to the station. The crew of Endeavour also delivered the final element of the station’s Mobile Servicing System, the Canadian-built Dextre, also known as the Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator.

In addition the STS-123 astronauts delivered Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman, who replaced Eyharts, a European Space Agency astronaut, on the station.

The orbiter is scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., tomorrow evening at 6:05pm CDT. A second landing opportunity comes at 7:39pm CDT. Forecasts from NASA are predicting favorable conditions at landing time.
Info taken from the NASA.gov website
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Read Latest News and Updates
at NASA.gov

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Note: I’ll Post on the Landing Wednesday so check back and watch it LIVE!
Safe Landing goes out to the crew of Space Shuttle Endeavour.
AubreyJ.........

Watch 5th and final Spacewalk Live

Watch 5th and final Spacewalk
* LIVE this evening *
On NASA TELEVISION
Saturday evening, March 22, 2008

Mission Specialists Robert L. Behnken and Mike Foreman are slated to begin the mission’s fifth and final spacewalk this Saturday evening at 4:23pm CDT. Their tasks include stowing the OBSS on the station’s S1 Truss, where it will be picked up by the STS-124 crew aboard space shuttle Discovery, set to launch in May.
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About Photo: March 13/14 , 2008 - Astronaut Garrett Reisman, Expedition 16 flight engineer, uses a digital camera to expose a photo of his helmet visor during the mission's first scheduled session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. Also visible in the reflections in the visor are various components of the station, the docked Space Shuttle Endeavour and a blue and white portion of Earth. During the seven-hour and one-minute spacewalk, Reisman and astronaut Rick Linnehan (out of frame), STS-123 mission specialist, prepared the Japanese logistics module-pressurized section (JLP) for removal from Space Shuttle Endeavour's payload bay; opened the Centerline Berthing Camera System on top of the Harmony module; removed the Passive Common Berthing Mechanism and installed both the Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU) tool change out mechanisms on the Canadian-built Dextre robotic system, the final element of the station's Mobile Servicing System.
Photo Credit: Astronaut Garrett Reisman - NASA
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UPDATE: 5:00pm CDT
Mission Specialists Robert L. Behnken and Mike Foreman began the Fifth Spacewalk today at 3:34pm CDT. Rick Linnehan, also a mission specialist, is coordinating their activities from inside the orbiting complex made up of space shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station.

Behnken and Foreman are tasked with stowing the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) on the station’s S1 Truss. With the OBSS in the grip of the station’s robot arm, the two spacewalkers will assemble an umbilical designed to keep the boom safe while it is stored in the harsh space environment. Then, the robot arm will hand the OBSS off to Behnken and Foreman, who will stow it on the truss.

The next component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory, which will be delivered on space shuttle Discovery during the STS-124 mission, is too large to accommodate the OBSS in the shuttle’s payload bay. Once the next element of Kibo is installed on the station, Discovery’s astronauts will detach the OBSS left behind by space shuttle Endeavour, use it to perform tile inspections and bring it home. When the STS-123 spacewalkers have successfully attached the boom to the S1 Truss, they will release launch locks on two of the Harmony module’s common berthing mechanisms and install trunnion covers on the Japanese Logistics Module – Pressurized Section. They also will perform other tasks including an inspection of the starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint.

In addition, the spacewalkers are tasked with installing the Materials International Space Station Experiment 6 on the outside of the European Space Agency’s Columbus laboratory, an activity the astronauts were unable to complete during the mission’s third spacewalk.

With the final STS-123 spacewalk complete, flight day 14 will see the crew of Endeavour prepare for the end of their visit to the station. The orbiter will undock Monday and return to Earth Wednesday.
Info taken from the NASA.gov website
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Read Latest News and Updates +
Mission Elapsed Time Clock
at NASA.gov

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Watch the Spacewalk Live HERE
ENJOY!!!

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* View STS-123 Interactive Timeline - Here *

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UPDATE: 10:30pm CDT
The Spacewalk was completed tonight at 9:36pm CDT.
Tomorrow, Sunday... the crew of Endeavour will prepare for the end of their visit to the station. The orbiter will undock Monday and return to Earth Wednesday.
….
NOTE: I’ll post on Landing Day so check back!!!

GOD SPEED to the Crew of STS-123 Endeavour...
AubreyJ.........

Watch 4th Spacewalk Live Tonight

Watch 4th Spacewalk
* LIVE Tonight *
On NASA TELEVISION
Thursday evening, March 20, 2008
...

Behnken and Foreman are slated to begin the mission’s fourth spacewalk at 5:28pm CDT Thursday. The two will perform tasks that include a shuttle tile repair test and change out of a circuit breaker on the station.

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As the docked International Space Station and Space Shuttle Endeavour continue their joint trek around the Earth, STS-123 Mission Specialists Robert L. Behnken and Mike Foreman prepare to step out of the station’s Quest airlock into the void..

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The fourth STS-123 spacewalk is slated to begin at 5:28 p.m. CDT. With Mission Specialist Rick Linnehan working inside the orbiting complex to coordinate their activities, the two spacewalkers will replace a failed Remote Power Control Module – essentially a circuit breaker – on the station’s truss.

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The spacewalkers also will perform the primary task of that spacewalk, which is the test of a heat shield repair method. This technique uses a caulk-gun-like tool named the Tile Repair Ablator Dispenser to dispense a material called Shuttle Tile Ablator-54 into purposely damaged heat shield tiles. Once the test is complete, the sample tiles will be returned to Earth to undergo extensive testing on the ground.

Info taken from the NASA.gov website

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* Out on a Limb *
About Photo: Anchored to a Canadarm2 mobile foot restraint, astronaut Rick Linnehan participates in the mission's first scheduled spacewalk. During the seven-hour spacewalk, Linnehan and Expedition 16 flight engineer Garrett Reisman prepared the Japanese logistics module-pressurized section for removal from Endeavour's payload bay and installed the tool change out mechanisms on the Canadian-built Dextre robotic system, the final element of the station's Mobile Servicing System.
Image Credit: NASA
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Read Latest News and Updates +
Mission Elapsed Time Clock
at NASA.gov

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Watch the Spacewalk Live HERE
ENJOY!!!

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* View STS-123 Interactive Timeline - Here *

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UPDATE...
Mission Specialists Robert L. Behnken and Mike Foreman completed the fourth STS-123 spacewalk at 11:28pm EDT, spending six hours and 24 minutes on the excursion.
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Note: Behnken and Foreman will begin the mission’s fifth and final spacewalk Saturday at 4:23pm CDT. Among other tasks, they will stow the Orbiter Boom Sensor System on the station’s main truss to be retrieved by the crew of Discovery on STS-124, the next space shuttle mission.

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I’ll be posting on the Fifth and final Spacewalk Saturday so check back!!!

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GOD SPEED to the Crew of STS-123 Endeavour...
AubreyJ.........

Watch 3rd Spacewalk Live Tonight

Watch 3rd Spacewalk

* LIVE Tonight*
On NASA TELEVISION
Monday evening, March 17, 2008 ...

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Linnehan and Mission Specialist Robert Behnken ended their day Sunday by “camping out” in the station’s Quest Airlock to purge the nitrogen from their bodies before they begin the third spacewalk of the mission this Monday evening.
Note: Preparations for today’s spacewalk will resume at 2:08pm CDT and the spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 6:23pm CDT.

Info taken from the NASA.gov website
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About Photo: March 15/16, 2008 -- Astronauts Rick Linnehan and Mike Foreman, both STS-123 mission specialists, participate in the mission's second scheduled session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the 7-hour, 8-minute spacewalk, Linnehan and Foreman, assembled the stick-figure-shaped Dextre, also known as the Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator (SPDM), a task that included attaching its two arms. Designed for station maintenance and service, Dextre is capable of sensing forces and movement of objects it is manipulating. It can automatically compensate for those forces and movements to ensure an object is moved smoothly. Dextre is the final element of the station's Mobile Servicing System. The blackness of space and Earth's horizon provide the backdrop for the scene.
Photo Credit: NASA
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Mission Specialists Rick Linnehan and Robert L. Behnken are hard at work outside the orbiting complex formed by the docked International Space Station and space shuttle Endeavour. The two astronauts began the third spacewalk of the STS-123 mission at 5:51pm CDT. The primary goal of this excursion is the outfitting of Dextre, the final element of the station’s Mobile Servicing System.

With Mission Specialist Mike Foreman coordinating spacewalk activities from inside the orbiting complex, Linnehan and Behnken are installing a spare parts platform and tool handling assembly for Dextre. Among other tasks, they also are checking out and calibrating Dextre’s end effector and moving some spare parts.

In addition, the spacewalkers are tasked with installing the MISSE-6 materials experiment on the outside of the European Space Agency’s Columbus laboratory.

Space shuttle Endeavour Pilot Gregory H. Johnson and Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman are operating the station’s robot arm during the spacewalk.

Behnken and Foreman are slated to begin the mission’s fourth spacewalk at 5:28pm CDT Thursday. The two will perform tasks that include a shuttle tile repair test and change out of a circuit breaker on the station.
Info taken from the NASA.gov website
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Read Latest News and Updates +
Mission Elapsed Time Clock
at NASA.gov
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* Watch the Spacewalk Live HERE *
ENJOY!!!

**************************** About Photo: Mission Specialist Rick Linnehan participates in the mission's third spacewalk.
Photo Credit: NASA TV
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* UPDATE: Tuesday, 8:00am CDT *
With the completion of the third STS-123 spacewalk, Dextre has been outfitted with the tools for its work. The International Space Station’s robot arm grabbed Dextre and moved it into an overnight parking position. The new robotic system will be activated on a power and data grapple fixture located on the U.S. laboratory Destiny on flight day nine.

Mission Specialists Rick Linnehan and Robert L. Behnken completed the third spacewalk of the STS-123 mission at 1:44 a.m. EDT. The excursion lasted six hours and 53 minutes.

With Mission Specialist Mike Foreman coordinating spacewalk activities from inside the orbiting complex, Linnehan and Behnken installed a spare parts platform and tool handling assembly for Dextre. Among other tasks, they also checked out and calibrated Dextre’s end effector and attached critical spare parts to an external stowage platform.

They were unable to attach a materials science experiment to the Columbus module, but may have another opportunity later in the mission.

Space shuttle Endeavour Pilot Gregory H. Johnson and Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman operated the station’s robot arm during the spacewalk.

Behnken and Foreman are slated to begin the mission’s fourth spacewalk at 5:28pm CDT Thursday. The two will perform tasks that include a shuttle tile repair test and change out of a circuit breaker on the station.
Info taken from the NASA.gov website
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* View STS-123 Interactive Timeline - Here *
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I’ll be posting on all the spacewalks over the next few days so check back!!!
...
GOD SPEED to the Crew of STS-123 Endeavour...
AubreyJ.........

Watch the 2nd Spacewalk Tonight

Watch the 2nd Spacewalk Tonight
On NASA TELEVISION
Saturday evening, March 15, 2008
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STS-123 Mission Specialists Rick Linnehan and Mike Foreman
should start mission’s 2nd Spacewalk this evening around 7:23pm CDT
About Photo: Canadarm2, the International Space Station's robot arm, moves the Canadian-built Dextre into place outside the station. Photo credit: NASA
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Dextre, the final element of the International Space Station’s Mobile Servicing System, will be put together today during the second spacewalk of STS-123. Mission Specialists Rick Linnehan and Mike Foreman are slated to begin their orbital stroll at 7:23pm CDT.

The two spacewalkers will assemble the stick-figure-shaped Dextre, also known as the Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator (SPDM), a task that includes attaching its two arms.

Mission Specialist Robert Behnken will coordinate the spacewalk activities from inside the orbital complex while STS-123 Pilot Gregory H. Johnson and Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman operate Canadarm2.

Designed for station maintenance and service, Dextre is capable of sensing forces and movement of objects it is manipulating. It can automatically compensate for those forces and movements to ensure an object is moved smoothly.

Throughout the day, the station and shuttle crew members will continue outfitting the Japanese Logistics Module - Pressurized Section (JLP). The JLP is the first pressurized component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory and the newest component of the station.

Info from the NASA.gov website
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Read Latest News and Updates +
Mission Elapsed Time Clock
at NASA.gov
********************
Watch the Spacewalk Live HERE
ENJOY!!!

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UPDATE: Sunday, March 16, 2008
10:00am CDT
* Crew Assembles Dextre During Second Spacewalk *
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Dextre, the final element of the International Space Station’s Mobile Servicing System, was successfully put together, this early Sunday morning, during the second of five scheduled spacewalks of the STS-123 mission. Linnehan and Foreman completed their 7-hour, 8-minute orbital stroll early this morning at 1:57am CDT.

Next Spacewalk is scheduled for...
Monday at 6:23pm CDT

Above info taken from the NASA website
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* View STS-123 Interactive Timeline - Here *
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I’ll be posting on all the spacewalks over the next few days so check back!!!
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GOD SPEED to the Crew of STS-123 Endeavour...
AubreyJ.........

Linnehan, Reisman Slated for 1st of 5 Scheduled Spacewalks Tonight

Rick Linnehan and Garrett Reisman
Slated for 1st of 5 Scheduled Spacewalks Tonight
Thursday, March 13, 2008

Two astronauts will venture outside the International Space Station (ISS) tonight to begin constructing a giant robot and help deliver Japan's first orbital room to the high-flying laboratory... Clad in their NASA-issue spacesuits, spacewalkers Rick Linnehan and Garrett Reisman are slated to begin the first of five planned excursions for their packed construction mission at about 8:23pm CDT.
Read this report at Space.com
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Watch the Spacewalk Tonight
On NASA TELEVISION
Thursday evening, March 13, 2008
Spacewalk should start around 8:23pm CDT

Photo credit: NASA
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The crews of space shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station have completed their first day as an orbital team, beginning 12 days of joint operations.

About an hour before docking, which occurred at 11:49 p.m. EDT Wednesday, STS-123 Commander Dominic Gorie guided 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 were sent to engineers on Earth for analysis.

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The STS-123 and Expedition 16 crews opened the hatches between Endeavour and the station at 1:36 a.m. The crews then spent time preparing for the first of five scheduled STS-123 spacewalks, which Mission Specialist Rick Linnehan and Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman will begin at 9:23 p.m. EDT Thursday evening.

Shortly after Endeavour’s arrival at the station, Reisman traded places with Flight Engineer Léopold Eyharts, a European Space Agency astronaut, to join the Expedition 16 crew. Eyharts will return to Earth aboard Endeavour.

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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.

Info from the NASA.gov website
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Read Latest News and Updates +
Mission Elapsed Time Clock
at NASA.gov
************
Watch the Spacewalk

* HERE *
ENJOY!!!

About above image: Astronaut Rick Linnehan exits the U.S. Quest airlock and begins the first STS-123 spacewalk.
Image Credit: NASA TV

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Spacewalk Update:
1st Spacewalk ends:

Mission Specialist Rick Linnehan and Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman completed the first spacewalk of the STS-123 mission at 3:19am CDT. The excursion lasted seven hours, one minute. About above image: A spacewalker works in the shuttle's payload bay with the shuttle's robotic arm in position to grapple the Japanese Logistics Module - Pressurized Section.
Image Credit: NASA TV

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Next, (2nd) Spacewalk is scheduled for Saturday, March 15, 2008 when Linnehan and Foreman will exit the orbital complex at about 7:23pm CDT. Their primary goal is to assemble Dextre.
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*View STS-123 Interactive Timeline - Here *
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I’ll be posting on all the spacewalks over the next few days so check back!!!
GOD SPEED to the Crew of STS-123 Endeavour...
AubreyJ.........

Watch Launch and Mission Live Of Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-123

Watch Launch and Mission Live
Of

Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-123
On NASA TELEVISION
Tuesday morning, March 11, 2008
At 1:28am CDT

About Photo: On top of Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Endeavour waits for liftoff on the STS-123 mission
Photo credit: NASA
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This will be Launch Try #ONE

(Coverage at NASA TV is happening right now!)

Monday, March 10, 2008 - 10 p.m. CDT

After arriving at Launch Pad 39A, the astronauts took a short elevator ride to the White Room on the 195-foot level, where one by one each crew member will be assisted by the Closeout Crew as they prepare to board Endeavour. Last-minute checks and adjustments will be made to the astronauts' flight suits before they crawl into the shuttle's crew compartment.

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About the Mission:

NASA astronaut Dominic Gorie commands a crew of six, including Pilot Gregory H. Johnson and Mission Specialists Rick Linnehan, Robert L. Behnken, Mike Foreman, Garrett Reisman and Japanese astronaut Takao Doi. Johnson, Behnken and Foreman will be making their first spaceflight.

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During the 16-day mission, the crew's two prime objectives are to deliver and attach to the International Space Station the first component of Japan's new laboratory called Kibo, as well as Canada's new robotics system, the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, or Dextre. STS-123 is the 25th shuttle mission to the International Space Station.

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Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Leopold Eyharts, who arrived at the station aboard Atlantis in February, will return to Earth with the Endeavour crew as Reisman takes his place on the station.

Info from the NASA.gov website
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Read Latest News and Updates +
Countdown/Mission Elapsed Time Clock
at NASA.gov
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Watch Launch and Mission LIVE
At NASA TV
Click HERE to view
ENJOY!!!
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*View STS-123 Interactive Timeline - Here *
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I’ll be posting on all the spacewalks over the next few days so check back!!!
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Photo credit: NASA
UPDATE: 1:45am CDT

* Endeavour Lifts Off !!! *
Lighting up the dark night sky... Space Shuttle Endeavour roared off the launch pad on time, (1:28am CDT,) beginning the 25th mission to the International Space Station.
Job well done!

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GOD SPEED to the Crew of STS-123 Endeavour...
AubreyJ.........

Space Shuttle Endeavour’s STS-123 Mission officially set for launch after getting "go" from NASA's Mission Management Team on Sunday

About Photo: From the left (front row) are Pilot Gregory Johnson and Commander Dominic Gorie. From the left (back row) are mission specialists Richard Linnehan, Robert Behnken, Garrett Reisman, Michael Foreman and Takao Doi, a Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut.
Photo Credit: NASA

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Sunday, March 09, 2008
Space Shuttle Endeavour’s STS-123 mission is officially set for launch after getting the "go" from NASA's Mission Management Team on Sunday. Liftoff from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, is scheduled for 2:28 a.m. EDT Tuesday, March 11th.

LeRoy Cain, chair for the team, stated that the countdown to liftoff is proceeding smoothly. "I’m happy to report that the mission management team is not working any issues or constraints to launch." said Cain.

Endeavour's go for launch clears STS-123's seven astronauts to start final preparations for their mission. Over the next few days, the crew will be busy double-checking equipment, rehearsing procedures and looking forward to an exciting trip into space.

At 6 a.m. Monday the gantry-like rotating service structure, which provides easy access and weather protection for Endeavour, will be retracted.

The current weather forecast calls for only a 10 percent chance atmospheric conditions will delay the launch, with the primary concern coming from a slight chance of a low cloud ceiling around Kennedy.

The flight is commanded by Dominic Gorie with Gregory H. Johnson serving as Pilot. The crew also includes Mission Specialists Rick Linnehan, Robert L. Behnken, Mike Foreman, Garrett Reisman and Japanese astronaut Takao Doi.

The crew will deliver the first section of the Japanese-built Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system called Dextre.

STS-123 is an international mission combining the expertise and experience of several countries working together to create a working 'home' in space.

Taken from an update on the NASA.gov website

Photo Credit: NASA