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STS-116 Mission Coverage

Sweden's first astronaut reflects on shuttle mission
"It was a wonderful flight, extremely exciting. I couldn't have asked for more." European Space Agency astronaut Christer Fuglesang recently spoke about his December mission to the International Space Station aboard shuttle Discovery.
   FULL STORY
   VIDEO: FULL MISSION COVERAGE
Discovery returns home for the holidays
Space shuttle Discovery made a safe and successful sunset landing at Kennedy Space Center Friday to complete its two-week mission that prepared the space station to power the international expansion of the complex. Landing occurred at 5:32 p.m. EST.
   FULL STORY
   MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
   PREVIEW STORY
Spaceflight Now Plus
Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: LONGER LENGTH MOVIE OF DISCOVERY'S RETURN PLAY
VIDEO: DISCOVERY LANDS AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER PLAY
VIDEO: FIRST LANDING OPPORTUNITY WAVED OFF PLAY

VIDEO: BEHIND THE SCENES IN MISSION CONTROL PLAY
VIDEO: U.S./EUROPEAN POST-LANDING NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY
VIDEO: COMMENTS FROM COMMANDER POLANSKY PLAY
VIDEO: THOMAS REITER BACK ON EARTH PLAY

VIDEO: REPLAY FROM WIDESCREEN PLAYALINDA TRACKER PLAY
VIDEO: REPLAY FROM EAST OF THE RUNWAY PLAY
VIDEO: REPLAY FROM WEST OF THE RUNWAY PLAY
VIDEO: REPLAY FROM NORTH OF THE RUNWAY PLAY
VIDEO: REPLAY FROM AN INFRARED CAMERA PLAY
VIDEO: REPLAY FROM VEHICLE ASSEMBLY BUILDING ROOF PLAY

VIDEO: LANDING PREVIEW NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY
VIDEO: CREW BRIEFED ON WEATHER AND LANDING STRATEGY PLAY
VIDEO: ANDE PAYLOAD DEPLOYED FROM DISCOVERY PLAY
VIDEO: INTERVIEWS WITH CNN, ABC AND CHALLENGER CENTER PLAY

VIDEO: FINAL ORBITER INSPECTIONS PERFORMED PLAY
VIDEO: MEPSI PAYLOAD DEPLOYED FROM DISCOVERY PLAY
VIDEO: RAFT PAYLOAD DEPLOYED FROM DISCOVERY PLAY
MORE: STS-116 VIDEO COVERAGE
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Shuttle boss talks landing day vs. inspection debate
The decision earlier this week to add a spacewalk to Discovery's mission and still preserve a final heat shield inspection today forced managers to delay re-entry one day to Friday and in so doing, give up a landing opportunity. NASA flight rules require a landing attempt Friday, even if that means diverting the shuttle to California or New Mexico. The latter option is a worst-case scenario that could expose the orbiter to sub-freezing weather and delay the ship's return to Florida by four to six weeks.
   FULL STORY
Shuttle Discovery undocks from the space station
The space shuttle Discovery undocked from the international space station Tuesday after a successful four-spacewalk visit to re-wire the outpost and prepare it for arrival of European and Japanese research modules over the next two years.
   FULL STORY
   PREVIEW STORY
   LANDING WEATHER LOOKS IFFY
Solar wing successfully retracted at last
Perched on the end of the space station's robot arm, astronaut Robert Curbeam, assisted by Swedish flier Christer Fuglesang, finally coaxed a set of balky solar blankets to fully retract Monday after repeatedly clearing guide wire hangups. The successful retraction of the huge array, which finally folded up like neatly pleated window blinds, was the final objective of Discovery's mission to re-wire the station.
   FULL STORY
   EVA UNDERWAY
   PREVIEW STORY
   VIDEO PODCAST: SOLAR ARRAY RETRACTED
   VIDEO PODCAST: FREE iTUNES SUBSCRIPTION
Spaceflight Now Plus
Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: POST-SPACEWALK STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: SUCCESSFUL ENDING TO SOLAR WING RETRACTION PLAY
VIDEO: ARRAY RETRACTION ALMOST COMPLETED PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKERS SLOWLY COAX FOLDING PLAY
VIDEO: CURBEAM USES SCRAPER ON WING PLAY
VIDEO: EVA GETS UNDERWAY PLAY
VIDEO: CREW SUITS UP PLAY

VIDEO: SPACEWALK PREVIEW BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: SATURDAY'S SPACEWALK EFFORTS ON THE ARRAY PLAY
VIDEO: DISCOVERY LAUNCH REPLAYS PLAY
MORE: STS-116 VIDEO COVERAGE
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Added spacewalk highlights shuttle risk trades
Faced with an unforgiving space station assembly sequence, NASA managers were forced to shoehorn an additional spacewalk into Discovery's mission to complete the retraction of a recalcitrant solar array. The spacewalk came at the expense of a landing weather contingency day but it was either that or give up a post-undocking heat shield inspection, an option many shuttle engineers were reluctant to consider.
   FULL STORY
   UPDATED FLIGHT PLAN
Spacewalkers shake solar wing; Another EVA Monday
Astronaut Robert Curbeam, a weight lifter in his spare time, and fellow spacewalker Sunita "Suni" Williams, a former Navy diver and helicopter pilot, took turns shaking a huge solar array storage box Saturday in a bid to loosen up sticky grommets and fully retract unruly blankets. Despite considerable initial success, the astronauts ran into a particularly stubborn grommet on Williams' side and ran out of time, setting the stage for a fourth spacewalk Monday to complete the array's retraction.
   FULL STORY
   4TH SPACEWALK APPROVED
   COOLING PUMP STARTED
   RE-WIRING A SUCCESS
   SATURDAY'S PREVIEW STORY
Solar array activities added to Saturday spacewalk
NASA managers late Friday evening told the Discovery astronauts that if enough time is available at the end of an already-planned spacewalk Saturday, two spacewalkers will be asked to carry out an up-close inspection of a partially retracted solar array to help engineers figure out what might be needed to coax the blankets into full retraction.
   FULL STORY
   CREW WILLING TO DO REPAIR
Solar array 'wiggle' tests, possible retraction planned
NASA managers, thrilled with the success of a space station re-wiring spacewalk Thursday, plan to remotely shake and jiggle a partially retracted solar array today in a bid to free a hung up guide wire and coax the blankets into full retraction.
   PREVIEW STORY
   VIDEO PODCAST: ISS REWIRED/DELTA LAUNCH
   VIDEO PODCAST: FREE iTUNES SUBSCRIPTION
Station work continues despite stubborn solar array
Space station flight controllers, faced with an unruly solar panel and an increasingly tight schedule, put array troubleshooting on hold late Wednesday and pressed ahead with work to ready the lab complex for a critical re-wiring spacewalk Thursday.
   PREVIEW OF EVA
   WEDNESDAY WRAPUP STORY
   PREVIEW STORY
   VIDEO: SHUTTLE MISSION COVERAGE
Spaceflight Now Plus
Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: SOLAR ARRAY ROTATES FOR FIRST TIME PLAY
VIDEO: SOLAR ARRAY RETRACTS TWO BAYS PLAY
VIDEO: LEARN ABOUT THE STATION POWER SYSTEM PLAY
VIDEO: DISCOVERY LAUNCH REPLAYS PLAY
MORE: STS-116 VIDEO COVERAGE
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Truss spacer added to station during spacewalk
Astronauts Bob Curbeam and Swedish flier Christer Fuglesang successfully bolted a short spacer segment to the space station's main solar power truss Tuesday during the first of three spacewalks planned for the shuttle Discovery's mission.
   FULL STORY
   PREVIEW STORY
   MASTER FLIGHT PLAN

   VIDEO PODCAST: FIRST SPACEWALK
Discovery wing checked for space debris impact
The Discovery astronauts used the space station's robot arm for a quick, unplanned inspection of the shuttle's left wing outboard leading edge panels based on sensor data indicating a possible micrometeoroid hit earlier Monday.
   FULL STORY
   EARLIER STORY

   VIDEO PODCAST: DISCOVERY DOCKED
Spaceflight Now Plus
Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: MONDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: MISSION CONTROL ORDERS WING INSPECTION PLAY
VIDEO: DISCOVERY DOES BACKFLIP BELOW STATION PLAY
VIDEO: DISCOVERY LAUNCH REPLAYS PLAY
MORE: STS-116 VIDEO COVERAGE
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Discovery completes rendezvous with the station
Space shuttle Discovery crossed the finish line of its two-day race since launch to catch the space station. Docking occurred at 5:12 p.m. EST over southeast Asia. About an hour before the linkup, Discovery performed a 360-degree backflip while the station crew photographed the shuttle's heatshield.
   DOCKING STORY
   PREVIEW STORY
   DOCKING TIMELINE

   VIDEO PODCAST: HEATSHIELD CHECKED
Astronauts perform post-launch inspections today
The Discovery astronauts were awakened for their first full day in space today by a recording of the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" beamed up from mission control around 10:50 a.m.
   PREVIEW STORY
   MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
   MASTER FLIGHT PLAN
Discovery dazzles in nighttime ascent
The shuttle Discovery thundered into orbit Saturday night, lighting up the night sky for hundreds of miles around as NASA kicked off a critical flight to conduct electronic bypass surgery on the international space station.
   FULL STORY
   MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
   COUNTDOWN TIMELINE
   LAUNCH TRAJECTORY DATA
   MASTER FLIGHT PLAN
   MISSION QUICK-LOOK

   VIDEO PODCAST - launch report
Spaceflight Now Plus
Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: SHORT CLIP OF DISCOVERY BLASTING OFF PLAY
VIDEO: DISCOVERY'S LAUNCH THROUGH FUEL TANK SEPARATION PLAY
VIDEO: WIDESCREEN VIEW FROM PLAYALINDA BEACH TRACKER PLAY
VIDEO: POST-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY

VIDEO: MS3 CHRISTER FUGLESANG BOARDS PLAY
VIDEO: MS4 JOAN HIGGINBOTHAM BOARDS PLAY
VIDEO: MS5 SUNI WILLIAMS BOARDS PLAY
VIDEO: COMMANDER POLANSKY BOARDS DISCOVERY PLAY
VIDEO: ASTROVAN DELIVERS CREW TO PAD 39B PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS DEPART QUARTERS FOR PAD PLAY
VIDEO: CREW FINISHES DONNING SPACESUITS PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS IN DINING ROOM PLAY
VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE MOVIE OF PAD GANTRY ROLLBACK TODAY PLAY

VIDEO: BIOGRAPHIES OF THE DISCOVERY ASTRONAUTS PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED STS-116 MISSION PREVIEW MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: OVERVIEW OF STS-116 MISSION PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE/ISS PROGRAM PERSPECTIVE PLAY
VIDEO: PREVIEW OF MISSION'S SPACEWALKS PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS' PRE-FLIGHT NEWS BRIEFING PLAY
MORE: STS-116 VIDEO COVERAGE
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Weather forecast remains poor for Discovery launch
Shuttle weather officers are continuing to predict a 70 percent chance of bad weather for Saturday's attempt to launch Discovery on a space station assembly mission.
   FULL STORY
Shuttle Discovery launch delayed to Saturday
After a nail-biting, down-to-the-wire countdown, launch director Mike Leinbach called off an attempt to launch the shuttle Discovery Thursday night on a critical space station mission because of low, thickening clouds over the Kennedy Space Center.
   FULL STORY
Spaceflight Now Plus
Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: LONGER LENGTH MOVIE OF THE SCRUB PLAY
VIDEO: SCRUB CALLED DUE TO LOW CLOUDS PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS DEPART QUARTERS FOR PAD PLAY
VIDEO: CREW FINISHES DONNING SPACESUITS PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS IN DINING ROOM THURSDAY PLAY
VIDEO: PAD'S ROTATING SERVICE STRUCTURE ROLLED BACK PLAY
MORE: STS-116 VIDEO COVERAGE
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Mission Preview

Next shuttle mission to
re-wire the space station

Shuttle astronauts, flight controllers and space station engineers are in the final stages of training for a complex multi-spacewalk mission in December to conduct electronic bypass surgery on the orbital lab complex and activate its main power and cooling systems.
   FULL STORY [Posted: Oct. 30]
   MISSION QUICK-LOOK
   MASTER FLIGHT PLAN
Earlier Stories

Shuttle countdown rolls on
Space shuttle Discovery remains scheduled for blastoff Thursday night from Kennedy Space Center. The management team's day-before-launch meeting cleared both the shuttle overvoltage spike and the solid rocket booster adhesive issues that were under review. The lingering worry is the weather.
   MORNING STORY
   WEATHER FORECAST
Spaceflight Now Plus
Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: WEDNESDAY'S COUNTDOWN AND WEATHER UPDATE PLAY
VIDEO: STS-116 PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY
MORE: STS-116 VIDEO COVERAGE
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Engineers troubleshoot last-minute shuttle issues
After a lengthy launch-minus-two-day review, NASA managers Tuesday night tentatively cleared the shuttle Discovery for liftoff Thursday, weather permitting, pending resolution of two last-minute technical issues. The issues do not appear to be show stoppers, but engineers are collecting additional data to make sure.
   FULL STORY
Countdown running for shuttle Discovery launch
Space shuttle Discovery's three-day countdown began at 11 p.m. Monday night inside Firing Room 4 of the Complex 39 launch control center. Liftoff remains scheduled for 9:36 p.m. EST Thursday to begin another difficult space station construction mission.
   FULL STORY
   PODCAST: WATCH NOW | ITUNES SIGNUP
Spaceflight Now Plus
Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: TUESDAY MORNING'S COUNTDOWN STATUS REPORT PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH COUNTDOWN BEGINS TICKING PLAY
MORE: STS-116 VIDEO COVERAGE
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Second try at space station reboost goes better
The Russian cargo freighter attached to the back of the space station fired its engines for an altitude reboost maneuver Monday. The burn adjusted the station's orbit to permit shuttle Discovery the luxury of performing the desired rendezvous profile no matter what day the ship blasts off during the next couple of weeks.
   FULL STORY
Discovery astronauts arrive at the Cape for launch
Space shuttle Discovery's astronauts arrived at Kennedy Space Center just before 4 p.m. EST Sunday in a wave of T-38 two-seater jets, touching down on the spaceport's concrete runway after a flight from their home base in Houston.
   FULL STORY
   PODCAST: WATCH NOW | ITUNES SIGNUP
Spaceflight Now Plus
Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: POST-ARRIVAL COMMENTS FROM THE CREW PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS ARRIVE IN WAVE OF T-38 JETS PLAY
VIDEO: BIOGRAPHIES OF THE DISCOVERY ASTRONAUTS PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED STS-116 MISSION PREVIEW MOVIE PLAY
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Another attempt at station reboost possible Monday
Russian rocket scientists believe they understand the cause of an aborted rocket firing Wednesday to raise the orbit of the international space station. An attempt to complete the reboost maneuver, designed to ensure the shuttle Discovery can reach the outpost throughout its upcoming launch window, is expected Monday, officials said Friday, after adjustments to control software.
   FULL STORY
Station reboost, circuit breaker glitches assessed
Space station engineers believe a Russian rocket firing to boost the lab's altitude, needed to permit the shuttle Discovery to dock on flight day three of its upcoming mission, was aborted Wednesday because of the station's unbalanced mass.
   FULL STORY
Shuttle launch set for next Thursday, pending issues
NASA managers Wednesday wrapped up a two-day flight readiness review and officially set Dec. 7 as the target launch date for the shuttle Discovery on an unprecedented mission to rewire the international space station. But station engineers are working two issues that must be resolved for Discovery to get off the ground next week.
   FULL STORY
   COUNTDOWN TIMELINE
   LAUNCH TRAJECTORY DATA
   KEY MISSION PERSONNEL
   CREW BACKGROUND
Spaceflight Now Plus
Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: WEDNESDAY'S SHUTTLE BRIEFING IN ITS ENTIRETY PLAY

BRIEFING SOUNDBITES:
VIDEO: THE ISSUES DISCUSSED AT FRR PLAY
VIDEO: NOT YOUR FATHER'S FRR PLAY
VIDEO: READY TO RESUME NIGHT LAUNCHES PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH PREPS PROCEEDING WELL PLAY
VIDEO: YEAR-END ROLLOVER CONCERNS PLAY
VIDEO: REASSESSING TANK FOAM RISK PLAY
VIDEO: STATION SOLAR ARRAY DRIVE SYSTEM PROBLEM PLAY
VIDEO: PRESSURIZATION PRECAUTIONS AT THE PAD PLAY
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Meeting to review plans for next week's shuttle launch
NASA managers are gathering at the Kennedy Space Center for a two-day flight readiness review Tuesday and Wednesday to assess the shuttle Discovery's launch processing and to set an official launch date for mission STS-116.
   FULL STORY
Spaceflight Now Plus
Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: NARRATED STS-116 MISSION PREVIEW MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: OVERVIEW OF STS-116 MISSION PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE/ISS PROGRAM PERSPECTIVE PLAY
VIDEO: PREVIEW OF MISSION'S SPACEWALKS PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS' PRE-FLIGHT NEWS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: COVERAGE OF PRACTICE COUNTDOWN ACTIVITIES PLAY
VIDEO: DISCOVERY ROLLS TO THE PAD PLAY
MORE: STS-116 VIDEO COVERAGE
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Discovery moved to launch pad for upcoming blastoff
Shuttle Discovery journeyed to launch pad 39B Thursday to begin final preparations for its nighttime blastoff December 7 on a delicate space station re-wiring mission. NASA managers considered moving launch up an additional day, to Dec. 6, but ruled that out based on time needed to complete crew training and to develop software intended to prevent damage to the station's new solar arrays.
   FULL STORY
   EARLIER ROLLOUT STORY
   IMAGES: ROLLOUT PHOTO GALLERY
Spaceflight Now Plus
Additional coverage for subscribers:
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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Space shuttle launch schedule gets a makeover
NASA managers have proposed new launch dates for the first three shuttle missions of 2007. Planning dates for all remaining flights through the end of shuttle operations in 2010 also were updated based on preliminary launch processing assessments. While several near-term flights face delays due primarily to external tank deliveries and possible conflicts with Russian Soyuz launches, NASA still expects to meet its 2010 deadline for completing the station and retiring the shuttle.
   FULL STORY [Posted: Oct. 16]
   MANIFEST GRAPHIC
Station gyro off line; impact on shuttle flight assessed
One of the international space station's four control moment gyroscopes, used to keep the outpost properly oriented without jarring, fuel-consuming rocket firings, was taken off line late Monday because of concern about repeated instances of excessive vibration.
   FULL STORY [Posted: Oct. 10]
Shuttles to resume night launches; Atlantis damaged
NASA managers met Thursday and agreed to relax a self-imposed post-Columbia daylight launch constraint, clearing the way for Discovery's evening liftoff Dec. 7 on a complex station assembly mission. It will be the first night shuttle launch since 2002. Meanwhile, engineers are assessing options for fixing a radiator on Atlantis apparently damaged when a piece of space debris or a micrometeoroid slammed into the panel.
   FULL STORY [Posted: Oct. 6]