Spaceflight Now




Shuttle crew to depart space station later today
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: December 19, 2006

The Discovery astronauts, wrapping up one of the most complex space station assembly missions yet attempted, plan to undock from the outpost today after a four-spacewalk visit to re-wire the lab complex, setting the stage for the eventual attachment of European and Japanese research modules.

All that's left is to complete a final few equipment and supply transfers between the shuttle and the station before hatches are sealed around 2:30 p.m.

"We're about 94 percent complete with all the transfers from the shuttle to the ISS, which amounts to about 3,500 pounds," Kirk Shireman, deputy space station program manager, said late Monday. "We're 90 percent complete with the transfers from the ISS back to the shuttle, which puts us at about 3,300 pounds of cargo that's back in the shuttle. So overall, we're about 92 percent complete.

"We've transferred about 49 pounds of nitrogen to our high pressure airlock tanks from the shuttle and we transferred earlier about 69 pounds of oxygen. We also transferred 86 liters of water (23 gallons) from the shuttle to the ISS. So again, transfers are going extremely well. The rest of the mission's going extremely well and we've finished all but the undock of our major mission objectives. We're very pleased."

A brief farewell ceremony is planned a few minutes before 2 p.m. and if all goes well, a final hatch between Discovery and the space station will be closed just before 2:30 p.m. Undocking is targeted for 5:09 p.m. EST.

Joining Discovery commander Mark Polansky, pilot William Oefelein, Nicholas Patrick, Robert Curbeam, Christer Fuglesang and Joan Higginbotham will be European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter, who was launched to the space station in July. He was replaced by astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams, who took off aboard Discovery to join Expedition 14 commander Mike Lopez-Alegria and flight engineer Mikhail Tyurin as a member of the lab's full-time crew.

Because the docked phase of Discovery's mission was extended one day to accommodate an unplanned spacewalk Monday to retract a balky solar array, the astronauts will not carry out a full photo-documentation fly around of the station after undocking.

Instead, Oefelein will move Discovery out in front of the U.S. Destiny laboratory module and then fly a quarter loop up to a point directly above the lab complex before dropping behind the station and departing the area. After a final heat shield inspection Wednesday, the astronauts will pack up Thursday for a return to Earth Friday afternoon.

Here is an updated timeline of today's activities (in EST and mission elapsed time; includes revision G of the NASA television schedule):


EST........DD...HH...MM...EVENT

08:47 AM...09...12...00...STS crew wakeup
09:17 AM...09...12...30...ISS crew wakeup
10:00 AM...09...13...13...Video file on NASA TV
11:17 AM...09...14...30...Logistics transfers resume
01:22 PM...09...16...35...Oxygen transfer system tear down
01:37 PM...09...16...50...Final transfer tagup
01:57 PM...09...17...10...Farewell ceremony
02:22 PM...09...17...35...Hatch closing
02:47 PM...09...18...00...Orbiter docking system leak checks
02:52 PM...09...18...05...Centerline camera installation
03:52 PM...09...19...05...Group B computer powerup
04:04 PM...09...19...17...Noon
04:17 PM...09...19...30...Undocking timeline begins
04:32 PM...09...19...45...Sunset
05:08 PM...09...20...21...Sunrise
05:09 PM...09...20...22...TDRS-West acquisition
05:09 PM...09...20...22...UNDOCKING
05:10 PM...09...20...23...Initial orbiter separation
05:11 PM...09...20...24...ISS holds current attitude
05:14 PM...09...20...27...Range: 50 feet; reselect -X jets
05:16 PM...09...20...29...Range: 75 feet; low-Z jets
05:36 PM...09...20...49...TDRS-East acquisition
05:36 PM...09...20...49...Noon
05:38 PM...09...20...51...Separation burn No. 1; STS directly above ISS
06:03 PM...09...21...16...Sunset
06:06 PM...09...21...19...Separation burn No. 2
06:12 PM...09...21...25...Crew meals begin
06:39 PM...09...21...52...Sunrise
06:42 PM...09...21...55...PMA-2 depressurization
07:12 PM...09...22...25...Group B computer powerdown
07:37 PM...09...22...50...Undocking video playback
08:00 PM...09...23...13...Mission status briefing on NASA TV
11:47 PM...10...03...00...STS crew sleep begins

12:00 AM...10...03...13...Daily video highlights reel on NASA TV
07:47 AM...10...11...00...Crew wakeup

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VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE MOVIE OF PAD GANTRY ROLLBACK PLAY

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VIDEO: SCRUB CALLED DUE TO LOW CLOUDS PLAY
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VIDEO: CREW FINISHES DONNING SPACESUITS PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS IN DINING ROOM THURSDAY PLAY
VIDEO: PAD'S ROTATING SERVICE STRUCTURE ROLLED BACK PLAY
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VIDEO: WEDNESDAY'S SHUTTLE BRIEFING IN ITS ENTIRETY PLAY

BRIEFING SOUNDBITES:
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VIDEO: YEAR-END ROLLOVER CONCERNS PLAY
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VIDEO: OVERVIEW OF STS-116 MISSION PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE/ISS PROGRAM PERSPECTIVE PLAY
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VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS' PRE-FLIGHT NEWS BRIEFING PLAY

VIDEO: COVERAGE OF PRACTICE COUNTDOWN ACTIVITIES PLAY

VIDEO: DISCOVERY ROLLS TO THE PAD PLAY
VIDEO: DISCOVERY MATED TO TANK AND BOOSTERS PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE HOISTED VERTICALLY INSIDE VAB PLAY
VIDEO: DISCOVERY HAULED FROM HANGAR TO VAB PLAY
VIDEO: PORT 5 TRUSS PAYLOAD PACKED UP PLAY
VIDEO: CREW VISITS KENNEDY SPACE CENTER PLAY
VIDEO: EXTERNAL FUEL TANK MATED TO BOOSTERS PLAY
MORE: STS-116 VIDEO COVERAGE
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