CAPE
CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA cleared the space shuttle Endeavour for a Tuesday
landing today, with little concern that Hurricane Dean could impact flight
operations at Mission Control.
Endeavour's
seven astronauts are set to land Tuesday here at NASA's Kennedy Space Center
(KSC) at 12:32 p.m. EDT (1632 GMT) after cutting their space station
construction mission short by one day due to the
hurricane. Strong crosswinds and the slight possibility of rain around the
landing site are the only weather concerns for the shuttle's return, NASA said.
"I would
say our chances are pretty good," Steve Stich, NASA's launch and entry
flight director for Endeavour's STS-118 mission, told reporters Monday of
tomorrow's planned landing.
An analysis
of imagery from a late inspection of the orbiter's heat shield also yielded no
concerns Monday.
"The
vehicle has been cleared for entry after late inspection," NASA astronaut
Chris Ferguson told Endeavour's astronaut crew from Mission Control. "So
that's great news."
Endeavour's
latest bill of good health comes after an earlier heat shield inspection just
after its Aug. 8 launch. NASA also found that a small
but deep gouge on Endeavour's underbelly - carved by launch debris - and a tiny
window scuff from a micrometeorite hit posed no danger for the shuttle's safe
return.
"I can
assure you that Endeavour is not going to suffer any catastrophic damage,"
Stich said.
NASA has kept
a close watch on the integrity of its shuttle heat shields since the tragic 2003
loss of the Columbia orbiter and its astronaut crew.
Stich said
flight controllers did notice a minor nitrogen leak in one of Endeavour's rear
engine pods, but it should not hinder Tuesday's planned landing.
Commanded by
veteran shuttle flyer Scott Kelly, Endeavour's
13-day mission delivered more than two tons of cargo to the International Space
Station (ISS), replaced a broke gyroscope outside the orbital laboratory and installed
spare parts and a new girder to the outpost's starboard side.
Endeavour's
crew also includes teacher-turned-spaceflyer
Barbara Morgan, who served as Teacher in Space Christa McAuliffe's backup for
NASA's ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission. Earlier today, she joined Kelly and STS-118
mission specialist Dave Williams, a Canadian Space Agency astronaut, in a video
chat with students in Canada's La Ronge, Saskatchewan.
Early return
NASA opted
to land Endeavour and its STS-118 crew one day
early due to concerns that Hurricane Dean could swing north and disrupt Mission
Control operations at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas.
While
shuttle mission have repeatedly been prolonged by bad weather at their landing
sites, NASA has rarely abbreviated flights for that reason or bad weather in
Houston.
"I
cannot recall when we've had any situation like this where we've actually moved
landing up by a day in order to sort of give people here to prepare for a
hurricane," Stich said from JSC.
But as of
Monday, the massive category four Hurricane Dean was expected to continue on towards
central Mexico, rather than imperil coastal Texas and Houston, according to the
National Hurricane Center.
"It
won't affect how we prepare for landing," Kelly told the Saskatchewan during
a space-to-ground educational event. "It's unfortunate for the people in
Mexico that it's going there."
NASA is
broadcasting Endeavour's STS-118 mission live on NASA TV. Click here for mission updates and
SPACE.com's NASA TV feed.
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