Endeavour's first full day in space
Update for Thursday, Dec. 6, 2001 at 7 a.m. EST

Endeavour's first full day in space will see its crew setting up and activating experiments, checking out equipment that will be needed later in the flight and continuing to fire its orbital maneuvering engines in an effort to meet up with the International Space Station on Friday.

The seven-member crew is scheduled to be awakened at 8:19 a.m. EST, and after some "post sleep" time to eat and get dressed for the day, the set up work will begin as there are a variety of experiments to be performed during this so-called utilization flight.

Some of the experiments involve taking baseline data from the three Expedition Four crew who will be spending about five months in space. The same studies performed on them during their stay will be compared to see what changes take place.

A couple of routine day-after-launch chores are scheduled, including powering up the shuttle's robot arm. The arm will be moved around a bit, not only to see if it's working OK but also to use the cameras it holds to scan the cargo bay and make sure everything is where it is supposed to be following launch Wednesday.

All of this is to be complete by 5:39 p.m. EST, when the crew will take a half-day off to rest up for the very long and busy day that is scheduled for Friday.

Flight Day 3 of mission STS-108 officially began at 7:21 a.m. EST this morning as the joint American-Russian crew aboard Endeavour was awakened by Mission Control in Houston playing "God of Wonders," a home-recorded worship song that was dedicated to shuttle commander Dom Gorie.

"It's not every day that a guy gets to dock with the International Space Station," CAPCOM Cady Coleman told Gorie why he was singled out for a special song.

"It's really a God of wonders this morning," Gorie replied. "We have the best seat in the house."

The busy morning will start at 8:39 a.m. as final rendezvoux operations officially begin, leading to a major firing of Endeavour's maneuvering engines that will put the shuttle on its final intercept course to joing up with the International Space Station. The so called TI burn (Terminal Initiation) is planned for 12:44 p.m. EST.

Smaller mid-course correction burns will be made if needed to keep Endeavour precisely on the path that will lead to the shuttle and ISS Alpha docking at 2:59 p.m. EST. The event may or may not be broadcast live on NASA TV, but a taped replay of the docking is scheduled for about 4:08 p.m. EST. A hatch opening and welcome ceremony is set for 4:58 p.m. EST.

And in California, a Boeing Delta 2 is scheduled to launch a pair of Earth monitoring satellites for NASA and CNES at 10:07:35 a.m. EST. For updates on that launch, see our Next Launch page.

Stay tuned to this page for docking updates throughout the day.

In what's called the Terminal Initiation, or TI, burn, Shuttle commander Dom Gorie has just fired Endeavour's orbital maneuvering engines to place the orbiter on its final approach to the International Space Station and result in the two vehicles docking at 2:59 p.m. EST.

With this maneuver complete, the shuttle crew have four opportunities to fire the smaller steering thrusters to make delicate course corrections as the distance between Endeavour and station Alpha close. At the time of the TI burn the shuttle was about nine miles below and behind the station.

As the station becomes more clearly visible in the shuttle's windows, Gorie will move to the back of the flight deck and fly the final short distance to the station manually. Although scheduled for 2:59 p.m. EST, the docking can be delayed without incident if Gorie decides he needs more time to finish the approach.

The docking may or may not be broadcast live on NASA TV, but a taped replay of the docking is scheduled for about 4:08 p.m. EST. A hatch opening and welcome ceremony is set for 4:58 p.m. EST. In any case, you are invited to click on the NASA TV link above if you'd like to follow along.

Or stay tuned to this page for docking updates throughout the day.

Gently taking his time during the final approach, Endeavour commander Dom Gorie flew the 100-ton space shuttle to a perfect docking with the International Space Station this afternoon as crews from both ships watched on with anticipation.

Docking was confirmed at 3:03 p.m. EST.

"Endeavour, arriving," station commander Frank Culbertson said moments before as he rang the ship's bell inside the Destiny science module and continued a Navy tradition first begun by Expedition One commander Bill Shepherd.

It will take several moments for the relative motion between Endeavour and Alpha caused by the maneuver to dampen out, and then the docking ring that connects the two spacecraft will be retracted, the first step toward establishing an air tight seal in the joining tunnel.

Hatch opening and a welcome ceremony is planned for about 5 p.m. EST.

Stay tuned to this page for updates.

The hatches between shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station opened at 5:42 p.m. EST and the 10 humans now in space have joined together in the Destiny science laboratory amid hugs, handshakes, backslaps, smiles and warm greetings.

It's a scene that is becoming more routine as it is repeated with each flight, but it's also a scene that has yet to lose any of its emotional impact: Courtesy of NASA TV, the world eavesdrops on a unique group of friends, all of whom have made a dangerous trip into Earth orbit, greeting each other in a strange place with the familiar traditions of exchanging gifts and words of welcome.

You can't help but smile too as the astronauts and cosmonauts enjoy their welcome ceremony.

But it was over all too quickly and with the "fun" out of the way, the crew is now moving into the work of conducting a safety briefing and the immediate exhchange of key equipment and supplies. They'll be up for a few more hours and then head off to bed, with another busy day of cargo transfer planned for Saturday.

Stay tuned to this page on Saturday for updates on how the mission is going.

Flight Day Four for the STS-108 mission is about to begin with a wake up call at 7:49 a.m. EST, and then after the usual post-sleep routine of getting ready for work the crew members will, in fact, get to work on several fronts today.

Beginning at 10:19 a.m. EST today the Expedition Four crew will start the tasks that will result in them officially taking up residence at the International Space Station, and make the Expedition Three crew an official part of the STS-108 shuttle mission.

The tangible symbol of that crew exchange is the swapping out of custom made seat liners that fit in the couches of the Soyuz spacecraft that would be used to return a station crew to Earth in the event of an emergency.

At the same time, the shuttle crew will be using Endeavour's robot arm to grab the Rafaello cargo module, lift it out of the bay and attach it to the Unity node of the station. That effort is to begin at 10:34 a.m. EST and conclude by 1:54 p.m. EST.

Stay tuned to this page for updates later this morning and afternoon.

Shuttle Endeavour's astronauts are working through the procedures to attach the Rafaello supply module to the side of the Unity module on the International Space Station today.

At 11:14 a.m. EST the shuttle's robot arm grabbed the Italian-built cargo carrier and began lifting it from Endeavour's payload bay at 12:01 p.m. EDT.

It will take a short while for the module to be lifted high overhead, precisely aligned and then positioned against a common berthing mechanism on the Unity module. Hooks and latches then will engage to form a tight seal.

After that the shuttle's arm will be returned to its cradle in Endeavour's bay and crewmembers inside the complex will check the seals and then open the hatches between Unity and Rafaello.

In the meantime, the Expedition Four and Expedition Three crews are officially swapping positions, allowing the new crew of station residents to begin to make themselves at home for their five-plus-month stay.

Stay tuned to this page for updates throughout the day.

Filled with more than three tons of food, supplies and equipment for the Expedition Four crew, the Rafaello Multi Purpose Logistics Module is securely attached to the International Space Station.

One of the principal goals of the STS-108 shuttle mission, Endeavour astronauts Linda Godwin and Mark Kelly led the effort to use the shuttle's robot arm in grabbing Rafaello, lifting it in place and securing it to the station.

By the numbers: Rafaello was grappled at 11:14 a.m., raised from Endeavour's cargo bay at 12:01 p.m., in position and ready to be latched at 12:50 p.m., officially berthed at 12:55 p.m. and the robot arm ungrappled at 1:09 p.m. -- all times EST.

Hatches between the supply module and the Unity node where it is attached are scheduled to be opened later today, and then the busy task of unpacking the supplies and refilling Rafaello with garbage will begin.

If all continues to go according to plan, Endeavour's astronauts will reverse the procedure on Thursday by retrieving the supply module from the station and placing it back inside Endeavour's cargo bay for the return to Earth.

Stay tuned to this page throughout the weekend for updates.

It will be a long day of unpacking and storing stuff aboard the International Space Station for the 10 humans in space today.

After a flawless effort on Saturday to attach the Rafaello supply module to the Unity node of the space station, hatches between the Italian cargo carrier and the frontier outpost were opened later that evening.

Loaded with more than three tons of food, clothing, supplies and equipment for the Expedition Four crew, which officially took up residency on the station on Saturday, it will take several days to empty the canister.

Later today, however, the crew will pause from their work and host a special event to commemorate the Sept. 11 attack on America. The event is scheduled for 5:24 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on NASA TV. You can watch by clicking on the link above.

Stay tuned to this page today as we post new stories and offer updates on what's going on in space.

The ten humans now in space have just concluded a somber moment in space as the commanders of STS-108, Expedition Four and Expedition Three each spoke of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America, what it meant to them and how working together in space may help nations work better together on the ground.

Particularly meaningful were the words of Expedition Three commander Frank Culbertson, who could look out the windows of space station Alpha on Sept. 11 and see first hand what was going in New York City below. The event, he said, affected him and his two crewmates greatly and prompted a lot of discussion during the following weeks.

Flying aboard the shuttle Endeavour are thousands of American flags and a collection of police and fire badges from those who lost their lives. The material will be returned to families and flags will be distributed to those families who lost someone in the attacks.

We will post a full story detailing the event shortly.

The crew of space shuttle Endeavour -- which for the first night officially included the Expedition Three crew of Culbertson, Dezhurov and Turin -- were awakened at 7:12 a.m. EST with a jazzy rendition of "Jumping at the Woodside."

Dedicated to mission specialist Linda Godwin, who had played the tenor sax heard in the recording, it was a fast-paced tune that definitely sets the tone for her workday today, which will be highlighted by a planned four-hour spacewalk featuring her and colleague Dan Tani.

The extravehicular activity is targeted to begin at 12:24 p.m. EST. The actual start time, however, will depend on how quickly the spacewalkers step through their preparations. Many spacewalks wind up starting early.

In order to help support today's spacewalk, the hatches between Endeavour and the International Space Station were closed last night, giving the Expedition Four crew of Onufrienko, Walz and Bursch their first night alone in what will be their home for the next five-plus months.

Today, while the spacewalk happens outside the station, the outpost crew inside will continue unpacking the Rafaello supply module that was berthed to the Unity node on Saturday.

Stay tuned to this page throughout the day for updates on the spacewalk's progress and other mission highlights.

Astronauts Linda Godwin and Dan Tani are dressed in their white spacesuits and are finishing pre-breathing pure oxygen at this hour in anticipation of stepping outside shuttle Endeavour to begin a planned four-hour spacewalk.

NASA mission commentator John Ira Petty reports they are a little behind the timeline and won't be starting the spacewalk at 12:24 p.m. EST as planned. He has not said how long it will be before the spacewalk begins.

The spacewalk will officially begin when the astronauts switch their spacesuits from orbiter power to their suit batteries, and will conclude when they return to the airlock, close the hatch and begin repressurizing the small chamber.

For a complete preview of what's in store for the spacewalkers, see Todd Halvorson's story posted earlier this morning.

Stay tuned to this page for updates and if you'd like to follow along on NASA TV, click on the link above.

The one and only planned spacewalk for mission STS-108 has officially begun, with timers starting at 12:53 p.m. EST.

Linda Godwin and Dan Tani soon will be exiting the open airlock and after some initial set up work the two will head on up to the top of the station riding at the end of the shuttle's robot arm.

During today's spacewalk Godwin is wearing the suit that sports red stripes. Tani, a rookie spacewalker, gets the plain white suit.

For a complete preview of what's in store for the spacewalkers, see Todd Halvorson's story posted earlier this morning.

Stay tuned to this page for updates and if you'd like to follow along on NASA TV, click on the link above.

Spacewalking astronauts Godwin and Tani have just about wrapped up their effort to wrap insulating blankets around two mechanisms that are part of the giant solar arrays that generate electricity for the International Space Station.

The blankets are going on with just a little difficulty as certain straps, Velcro patches and other elements of the blankets are not fitting just right. But despite the discussions heard on NASA TV about things not fitting, the report is that mission managers are happy with the way things are moving along.

Now half way through what is planned to be a four-hour spacewalk, the astronauts at this time are still working high above the station complex and sending down incredible views via Godwin's helmet cam.

For a review of what the spacewalkers are to accomplish, see Todd Halvorson's story posted earlier this morning.

Stay tuned to this page for updates and if you'd like to follow along on NASA TV, click on the link above.

Astronauts Linda Godwin and Dan Tani are safely back inside shuttle Endeavour's airlock. The hatch is closed and the compartment is repressurizing.

The spacewalk took a little bit longer than planned and they didn't get everything done they had hoped, but the main goal of the venture outside was complete so officials are declaring the sortie outside a success.

However the true success of the spacewalk won't be known for several weeks as engineers on the ground wait to see if the insulating blankets Godwin and Tani installed will help keep some motors that point the giant solar arrays from overheating.

Official duration of today's spacewalk: 4 hours and 11 minutes. This was the 16th and final extravehicular activity at the station this year.

Stay tuned to this page for an updated story wrapping up today's spacewalk. Updates will continue again on Tuesday as another busy day is planned for the shuttle and station crews.

A long day of unpacking, stowing and repacking supplies at the International Space Station will be paused a couple of times for special ceremonies and the traditional crew news conference.

Mission managers today also are expected to formally approve an extension of Endeavour's stay at the outpost by one day, moving undocking to Saturday and landing to Monday.

The first special event is expected at 8:46 a.m. EST as the STS-108, Expedition Three and Expedition Four crews join others around the United States in a moment commemorating the three-month anniversary of the Sept. 11 attack on America.

Later today, the 10 humans now in space will gather in the Destiny science laboratory for a formal change-in-command ceremony in which Yuri Onufrienko will take command of the space station from Frank Culbertson.

That event is scheduled for 3:48 p.m. EST, just moments after the conclusion of the crew news conference, which is scheduled for 3:04 p.m. EST. Both events will be broadcast on NASA TV.

The work day in space is scheduled to end at 11:19 p.m. EST.

Stay tuned to this page for updates and new stories throughout the day.