Fri, Jun 13, 2008
Discovery Cleared To Return To Earth Saturday Morning
The crew members of space shuttle Discovery spent their last
full day in orbit getting ready for their return home, and the end
of the STS-124 mission... but not without a bit of drama.
NASA reports that after completing a standard day-before-landing
test of the shuttle steering jets Friday, the crew members
indicated they saw an object floating away from the shuttle from
behind the rear portion of the right wing. Shortly afterwards, the
crew described what they called a "bump" on the left side trailing
edge of Discovery's rudder.
Experts on the ground examined images and video of the object
and the "bump," and determined that there were no concerns for
entry and landing. Scientists on the ground identified the debris
as a clip used to protect the speed brake from heating during the
ascent into orbit, and determined it poses no concern for
re-entry.
The STS-124 astronauts also set up the recumbent seat for
Mission Specialist Garrett Reisman, who joined the crew of
Discovery on the International Space Station. Reisman, who served
as Expedition 17 flight engineer for three months, was replaced on
the station crew by NASA astronaut Greg Chamitoff.
STS-124 arrived at the station June
2, delivering the Japanese Pressurized Module (JPM),
the second and largest component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency’s Kibo laboratory. The tour bus-sized JPM was attached
to the left side of the Harmony connecting node by shuttle and
station crew members during a series of three spacewalks.
Discovery is scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center, FL at
1115 EDT Saturday.
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