Spaceflight Now




Discovery departs station with sights set on landing
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: July 15, 2006

The shuttle Discovery undocked from the international space station early today, leaving European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter behind to boost the crew size to three for the first time since downsizing in the wake of the Columbia accident.

Undocking occurred on time at 6:08 a.m. as the two spacecraft sailed high above New Zealand.

"And we have physical separation," a Discovery astronaut said as the shuttle's docking system disengaged.

"Discovery, station, roger, we're watching here in the cameras," station flight engineer Jeff Williams radioed. "Have a safe journey back, soft landings and we'll see you on the ground in a few months."

With pilot Mark Kelly at the controls, Discovery drifted straight away from the station, pulling out in front to a distance of about 400 feet before beginning a slow loop up and over the international outpost.

The shuttle's departure trajectory was designed to keep Discovery within about 40 nautical miles of the station until the astronauts can complete a final survey of the shuttle's nose cap and right wing leading edge panels.

They inspected the left wing leading edge Friday, looking for any signs of damage from impacts by micrometeoroids or space debris. Lisa Nowak and Stephanie Wilson will use Discovery's robot arm and a long inspection boom today to make laser scans of the ship's reinforced carbon carbon nose cap and right wing leading edge panels beginning around 9 a.m.

If any serious problems are found, Discovery has enough propellant on board to re-rendezvous with the space station. But if the wings and nose cap are sound, Discovery will leave the area and the crew will begin gearing up for a landing opportunity Monday at the Kennedy Space Center. Based on the latest calculations by mission control, the shuttle's twin braking rockets will be fired at 8:11 a.m. Monday for a landing at 9:14 a.m.

Here is an updated timeline of today's activities in space (in EDT and mission elapsed time):


TIME        DD  HH  MM  EVENT

07/15/06
01:08 AM    10  10  30  STS crew wakeup (flight day 12)
01:38 AM    10  11  00  ISS crew wakeup
03:38 AM    10  13  00  Farewell ceremony
03:53 AM    10  13  15  Hatch closure
04:28 AM    10  13  50  Centerline camera installation
04:38 AM    10  14  00  Group B computer powerup
04:38 AM    10  14  00  Orbiter docking system leak check
05:23 AM    10  14  45  Undocking timeline begins
06:08 AM    10  15  30  UNDOCKING
07:08 AM    10  16  30  Shuttle separation burn
07:43 AM    10  17  05  Group B computer powerdown
07:43 AM    10  17  05  Crew meals begin
08:43 AM    10  18  05  Robot arm maneuvers to survey attitude
08:58 AM    10  18  20  OBSS starboard survey
10:08 AM    10  19  30  ISS: PMA-2 depressurization
10:28 AM    10  19  50  OBSS nose survey
11:00 AM    10  20  22  Mission status briefing on NASA TV
12:28 PM    10  21  50  OBSS berthing
01:33 PM    10  22  55  Shuttle robot arm powerdown
03:24 PM    11  00  46  NC-5 rocket firing
05:00 PM    11  02  22  Post-MMT briefing on NASA TV
05:08 PM    11  02  30  STS crew sleep begins
06:00 PM    11  03  22  Daily video highlights reel on NASA TV

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