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Video archive

Day 14 highlights

Flight Day 14 was undocking day as Discovery depated the station to begin the journey toward home.

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Day 13 highlights

The shuttle Discovery astronauts say goodbye to their space station crewmates on Flight Day 13 of the STS-120 mission.

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Day 12 highlights

Spacewalking astronauts come to the rescue and repair the station's damaged solar array. Highlights are packed in the Flight Day 12 movie.

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Day 11 highlights

Preparing tools, maneuvering the space station robot arm and unberthing the shuttle boom for spacewalk are highlighted in the Flight Day 11 movie.

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STS-120 SRB cameras

Spectacular footage from six cameras mounted on shuttle Discovery's solid rocket boosters.

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Day 10 highlights

The astronauts getting equipment ready for the solar array repair spacewalk was the focus of activities on Flight Day 10.

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STS-120 day 9 highlights

This Halloween edition of the flight day highlights is complete with Clay Anderson's costume.

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STS-120 day 8 highlights

Moving the Port 6 truss to its permanent spot on the station and the ripped solar blanket are shown in the Flight Day 8 movie.

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STS-120 day 7 highlights

Juggling of the Port 6 solar array truss between the station and shuttle robotic arms highlighted work on Flight Day 7.

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STS-120 day 6 highlights

Spacewalk to detach Port 6 truss and discovery of debris in a solar array rotary joint are highlighted in the Flight Day 6 movie.

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STS-120 day 5 highlights

Highlights from Flight Day 5 see the astronauts enter into the newly-installed Harmony module.

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STS-120 day 4 highlights

The Flight Day 4 highlights movie shows Harmony's attachment to the station and the Discovery mission's first spacewalk.

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STS-120 day 3 highlights

This movie shows the highlights from Flight Day 3 as Discovery docked to the space station.

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STS-120 day 2 highlights

Flight Day 2 of Discovery's mission focused on heat shield inspections. This movie shows the day's highlights.

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STS-120 launch videos

Check out all angles of space shuttle Discovery's launch with our extensive video collection.

 Full coverage

STS-120 day 1 highlights

The highlights from shuttle Discovery's launch day are packaged into this movie.

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STS-120: Crew arrival

The space shuttle Discovery astronauts arrive at the Kennedy Space Center for their countdown to launch.

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STS-120: The programs

In advance of shuttle Discovery's STS-120 mission to the station, managers from both programs discuss the flight.

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STS-120: The mission

Discovery's trip to the station will install the Harmony module and move the P6 solar wing truss. The flight directors present a detailed overview of STS-120.

 Part 1 | Part 2

STS-120: Spacewalks

Five spacewalks are planned during Discovery's STS-120 assembly mission to the station. Lead spacewalk officer Dina Contella previews the EVAs.

 Full briefing
 EVA 1 summary
 EVA 2 summary
 EVA 3 summary
 EVA 4 summary
 EVA 5 summary

The Discovery crew

The Discovery astronauts, led by commander Pam Melroy, meet the press in the traditional pre-flight news conference.

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Shuttle Discovery's heat shield cleared for entry
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: November 6, 2007

NASA managers late today cleared the shuttle Discovery for re-entry and landing Wednesday to close out a dramatic space station assembly mission, giving the ship's heat shield a clean bill of health after analyzing data from a final inspection.

Entry Flight Director Bryan Lunney, son of legendary Apollo flight director Glynn Lunney, said Discovery's entry systems were checked out earlier today, and forecasters are predicting acceptable conditions with the only concern being relatively high headwinds on runway 33 at the Florida spaceport.

Given the forecast, NASA is not activating the shuttle's backup landing sites at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., or Northrup Strip, N.M.

"We have KSC for two opportunities on Wednesday," Lunney said. "I do not have Edwards or Northrup called up at all Wednesday. If we wave off for weather or have some other problem, I'll make a determination Wednesday afternoon whether or not to call up Edwards on Thursday. So I'm not going to make that call until then."

Assuming the weather holds and no problems develop, commander Pam Melroy and pilot George Zamka plan to fire Discovery's twin braking rockets at 11:59:12 a.m. for one minute and 58 seconds, slowing the ship by about 150 mph to drop out of orbit for an hourlong glide to Earth.

Crossing the coast of North America just north of Vancouver, Discovery will follow a so-called descending node trajectory, plunging across the heartland of America for a landing at 1:01:50 p.m. A second landing opportunity is available one orbit later, with a deorbit rocket firing at 1:34:42 p.m. and landing at 2:36:12 p.m.

The Spaceflight Meteorology Group at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, which is responsible for shuttle landing weather forecasts, predicted scattered clouds at 3,000 feet, visibility of 7 miles and winds out of 350 degrees at 14 knots with gusts to 23. That works out to a 22-knot headwind, just 3 mph below NASA's safety limit.

"The weather right now is looking really, really good," Lunney said. "For the last few days, the forecast has been great. We've had mostly clear skies, we're forecasting scattered at 3,000 ... and the winds are going to be blowing right down the runway, peaking up to 23 (knots) with a 14-knot steady state. So real optimistic that tomorrow's landing opportunities we'll play out for us for weather."

Here is a timeline of tomorrow's deorbit opportunities (in EST; the times for deorbit ignition and landing may change by a few seconds based on final tracking):


EST...........EVENT

..............Rev. 238 Deorbit to KSC

07:59:12 AM...Begin deorbit timeline
08:14:12 AM...Radiator stow
08:24:12 AM...Mission specialists seat installation
08:30:12 AM...Computers set for deorbit prep
08:34:12 AM...Hydraulic system configuration
08:59:12 AM...Flash evaporator cooling system checkout
09:05:12 AM...Final payload deactivation
09:19:12 AM...Payload bay doors closed
09:29:12 AM...Mission control 'go' for OPS-3 entry software
09:39:12 AM...OPS-3 transition
10:04:12 AM...Entry switchlist verification
10:14:12 AM...Deorbit rocket firing update
10:19:12 AM...Crew entry review
10:34:12 AM...Commander/pilot don entry suits
10:51:12 AM...Navigation system alignment
10:59:12 AM...Commander/pilot strap in; MS suit don
11:16:12 AM...Shuttle steering check
11:19:12 AM...Hydraulic power unit prestart
11:26:12 AM...Toilet deactivation
11:34:12 AM...Vent doors closed for entry
11:39:12 AM...Mission control 'go' for deorbit burn
11:45:12 AM...Astronauts strap in
11:54:12 AM...Single hydraulic unit start

11:59:12 AM...Deorbit ignition (dV: 147 mph; dT: 1:58)
12:01:10 PM...Deorbit burn complete (alt: 223.3 sm)

12:30:05 PM...Entry interface (alt: 75.8 sm; vel: 16,979 mph)
12:35:24 PM...1st roll command to left
12:44:14 PM...1st left to right roll reversal
12:48:00 PM...C-band radar acquisition
12:55:16 PM...Velocity less than mach 2.5 (alt: 83,700 feet)
12:57:28 PM...Velocity less than mach 1 (alt: 51,200 feet)
12:58:47 PM...Shuttle banks to line up on runway
                         (alt: 32,200 feet; 192-degree right turn)
01:01:50 PM...Landing on runway 33

..............Rev. 239 Deorbit to KSC

01:14:42 PM...Mission control 'go' for deorbit burn
01:20:42 PM...Astronaut seat ingress
01:29:42 PM...Single APU start

01:34:42 PM...Deorbit ignition (dV: 246 mph; dT: 2:00)
01:36:42 PM...Deorbit burn complete (alt: 217 sm)

02:04:13 PM...Entry interface (alt: 75.7 sm; vel: 16,979 mph)
02:09:33 PM...1st roll command to left
02:25:02 PM...1st left-to-right roll reversal
02:29:41 PM...Velocity less than mach 2.5 (alt: 83,700 feet)
02:31:54 PM...Velocity less than mach 1 (alt: 50,500 feet)
02:32:52 PM...Shuttle banks to line up on runway 
                         (alt: 36,300 feet; 228-degree right turn)
02:36:12 PM...Landing on runway 33

Spaceflight Now Plus
Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: FAREWELL CEREMONY BETWEEN SHUTTLE AND ISS CREWS PLAY
VIDEO: SUNDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 12 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: POST-SPACEWALK MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: THE SOLAR ARRAY IS FULLY DEPLOYED AT LAST PLAY
VIDEO: PARAZYNSKI INSTALLS FIRST CUFFLINK PLAY
VIDEO: THE SPACEWALK BEGINS PLAY
VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 11 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: FRIDAY'S STATUS BRIEFING AND SPACEWALK PREVIEW PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 10 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: THURSDAY'S STATUS BRIEFING AND SPACEWALK PREVIEW PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 9 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: WEDNESDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: CREW NEWS BRIEFING WITH U.S., ITALY, RUSSIA PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 8 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: TUESDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: SOLAR ARRAY WING TEARS DURING DEPLOYMENT PLAY
VIDEO: FIRST SOLAR ARRAY IS SUCCESSFULLY UNFURLED PLAY
VIDEO: HOUSTON BEGINS SOLAR ARRAYS DEPLOY SEQUENCE PLAY
VIDEO: SPARE POWER SWITCHING UNIT INSTALLED PLAY
VIDEO: INSPECTIONS OF PORT-SIDE ROTARY JOINT PLAY
VIDEO: RADIATOR UNFOLDED FROM THE P6 TRUSS PLAY
VIDEO: THE ASTRONAUTS PAUSE FOR QUICK PHOTOS PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKERS REMOVE SHROUDS FROM P6 BOXES PLAY
VIDEO: P6 TRUSS CAPTURED CLAW-LIKE INSTALL LATCH PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKERS HELP GUIDE P6 TRUSS INTO PLACE PLAY
VIDEO: DOUG WHEELOCK EMERGES FROM AIRLOCK FOR EVA PLAY
VIDEO: ROBOT ARM MOVES TRUSS FROM OVERNIGHT PARK SPOT PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION OF P6 TRUSS INSTALLATION PLAY
VIDEO: PREVIEW OF TUESDAY'S SPACEWALK PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 7 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: MONDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: ANOTHER RADIATOR DEPLOYED FROM THE S1 TRUSS PLAY
VIDEO: RADIATOR DEPLOYED FROM STARBOARD 1 TRUSS PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS HAVE SOME FUN IN HARMONY PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEWED BY ABC NEWS PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEWED BY NBC NEWS PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEWED BY CNN PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION OF RADIATOR DEPLOYS PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION OF PORT 6 HANDOFF PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 6 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: POST-SPACEWALK MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: ROBOT ARM GRAPPLE BASE INSTALLED ON HARMONY PLAY
VIDEO: STATION CABLING FOR P6 TRUSS CONFIGURED PLAY
VIDEO: TANI COLLECTS SAMPLES OF DEBRIS IN ROTARY JOINT PLAY
VIDEO: TANI DISCOVERS UNKNOWN DEBRIS INSIDE ROTARY JOINT PLAY
VIDEO: THE PORT 6 TRUSS DETACHED FROM THE SPACE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKERS UNBOLT THE PORT 6 TRUSS PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION OF PORT 6 REMOVAL PLAY
VIDEO: PREVIEW OF SUNDAY'S SPACEWALK PLAY
VIDEO: BIOGRAPHY MOVIE ON DISCOVERY'S ASTRONAUTS PLAY
VIDEO: BIOGRAPHY MOVIE ON EXPEDITION 16 CREW PLAY
VIDEO: BIOGRAPHY ON NEW EXPEDITION 16 MEMBER DAN TANI PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 5 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEWED BY CBS NEWS PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEWED BY FOX NEWS PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEWED BY WHAM-TV PLAY
VIDEO: SATURDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS ENTER HARMONY FOR FIRST TIME PLAY
VIDEO: CREW COMMENTS FROM INSIDE HARMONY PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 4 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: POST-EVA MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: FIRST STS-120 SPACEWALK CONCLUDES PLAY
VIDEO: ROBOT ARM INSTALLS HARMONY ON THE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: HARMONY MODULE LIFTED OUT OF PAYLOAD BAY PLAY
VIDEO: S-BAND ANTENNA STOWED IN DISCOVERY'S BAY PLAY
VIDEO: WHEELOCK RIDES STATION ARM WITH ANTENNA PLAY
VIDEO: MISSION STS-120'S SPACEWALK NO. 1 BEGINS PLAY

VIDEO: ANIMATED PREVIEW OF HARMONY INSTALLATION PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION OF SHUTTLE PAYLOAD BAY PLAY
VIDEO: HARMONY'S PRE-LAUNCH PREPS AT THE CAPE PLAY
VIDEO: BACKGROUND INFO ON HARMONY MODULE PLAY
VIDEO: PREVIEW OF FRIDAY'S SPACEWALK PLAY

VIDEO: THURSDAY MANAGEMENT TEAM NEWS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: POST-DOCKING MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: INSPECTION BOOM HANDED BETWEEN ROBOT ARMS PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE CREW WELCOMED ABOARD THE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: RING BETWEEN THE DOCKING PORTS RETRACTED PLAY
VIDEO: REPLAY OF DOCKING FROM PAYLOAD BAY CAMERAS PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE DISCOVERY DOCKS TO THE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: DISCOVERY PERFORMS 360-DEGREE BACKFLIP PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE APPROACHES STATION FROM BELOW PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED PREVIEW OF THE DOCKING PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 2 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: BRIEFING ON LAUNCH IMAGERY AND TANK'S PERFORMANCE PLAY
VIDEO: WEDNESDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: HEAT SHIELD INSPECTIONS EXPLAINED PLAY
VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 1 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: INSIDE MISSION CONTROL DURING LAUNCH PLAY

VIDEO: DISCOVERY'S LAUNCH AS SEEN LIVE PLAY
VIDEO: EXTERNAL TANK CAMERA FROM LIFTOFF TO ORBIT PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: VAB ROOF PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: KSC RUNWAY PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: BEACH TRACKER PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: UCS-23 WIDESCREEN PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: PLAYALINDA WIDESCREEN PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: WEST TOWER PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: PRESS SITE PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 009 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 041 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 049 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 050 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 051 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 054 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 060 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 061 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 063 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 070 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 071 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA UCS-12 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA UCS-15 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA CS-1 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA CS-2 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA CS-6 PLAY

VIDEO: THE CREW DEPARTS QUARTERS FOR THE PAD PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS SUITS UP ON LAUNCH MORNING PLAY
VIDEO: A LOOK BACK AT SHUTTLE DISCOVERY'S HISTORY PLAY
VIDEO: PAD 39A'S ROTATING GANTRY MOVED BACK PLAY
VIDEO: INTERVIEW CLIPS WITH THE ASTRONAUTS PLAY
VIDEO: MONDAY MORNING'S STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY
VIDEO: SUNDAY COUNTDOWN STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: SATURDAY COUNTDOWN STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: WATCH THE CREW'S ARRIVAL FOR LAUNCH PLAY
VIDEO: NEWS CONFERENCE AFTER FLIGHT READINESS REVIEW PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE DISCOVERY ROLLS TO LAUNCH PAD 39A PLAY
VIDEO: CRANE HOISTS DISCOVERY FOR MATING TO TANK PLAY
VIDEO: DISCOVERY MOVED TO THE VEHICLE ASSEMBLY BUILDING PLAY
VIDEO: HYDRAULIC SEALS REPLACED ON LANDING GEAR STRUT PLAY
VIDEO: FUEL TANK ATTACHED TO SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS PLAY
VIDEO: FOAM REMOVED FROM FUEL TANK FEEDLINE BRACKETS PLAY

VIDEO: STS-120 MISSION OVERVIEW BRIEFING PART 1 | PART 2
VIDEO: PREVIEW OF THE MISSION'S FIVE SPACEWALKS PLAY
VIDEO: DISCOVERY'S ASTRONAUTS MEET THE PRESS PLAY
VIDEO: BRIEFING ON SHUTTLE AND ISS PROGRAMS PLAY
MORE: STS-120 VIDEO COVERAGE
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