Sat, Nov 01, 2008
STS-126 Will Ready Station For Full Crew Complement
NASA managers completed a review Thursday of space shuttle
Endeavour's readiness for flight and selected the official launch
date for the STS-126 mission. Commander Chris Ferguson and his six
crewmates are scheduled to lift off to the International Space
Station at 7:55 pm EST on November 14.
The STS-126 flight will feature important repair work to the
station, and to prepare it for housing six crew members during
long-duration missions. The primary focus of the 15-day flight and
its four planned spacewalks is to service the station's two Solar
Alpha Rotary Joints, which allow its solar arrays to track the
sun.
Endeavour will carry about 32,000 pounds to orbit, including
supplies and equipment necessary to double the crew size from three
to six members in spring 2009. The new station cargo includes
additional sleeping quarters, a second toilet and a resistance
exercise device.
The shuttle's launch date was announced after the conclusion of
Thursday's Flight Readiness Review. During the meeting, top NASA
and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the
mission and determined the shuttle's equipment, support systems and
procedures are ready for flight.
Ferguson will be joined on STS-126 by Pilot Eric Boe and Mission
Specialists Donald Pettit, Steve Bowen, Heidemarie
Stefanyshyn-Piper, Shane Kimbrough and Sandra Magnus. Magnus will
replace space station crew member Greg Chamitoff, who has been
aboard the station for more than five months. She will return to
Earth during the next shuttle mission, STS-119, targeted to launch
in February 2009.
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