Crews prepare to say good bye, close hatches
Monday, Dec. 2, 2002 at 12 p.m. EST
The last item to be moved from the shuttle to the station -- a computer printer to replace one that had failed in the Zvezda service module -- was floated over and now the crews are preparing to say their final farewells and close the hatches.
Those activities are expected within the next 20 minutes or so.
Undocking remains on schedule for 3:05 p.m. EST this afternoon.
Endeavour pilot Paul Lockhart will be at the controls as he backs the shuttle away from the outpost, maneuvers to a point above the station and then performs a final separation burn.
About an hour later the shuttle crew plans to deploy a small Air Force satellite experiment into Earth orbit that is designed to study orbital mechanics and the way the tiny spacecraft interact with each other.
All of this will set up a landing opportunity on Wednesday back at the Kennedy Space Center. Unfortunately the early weather outlook is pessimistic.
Mission managers want to return Endeavour to Florida for reasons involving science research with the Expedition Five crew, avoiding the expense and schedule hit of landing in California and because Florida is where all the families of the crewmembers are.
With enough consumables to remain in space through the weekend, Endeavour could wind up spending an extra day or two in orbit waiting for the Florida weather to clear.
We will next update this page after the hatches are confirmed closed.
Hatches closed between shuttle and station
Monday, Dec. 2, 2002 at 1:15 p.m. EST
Having said good bye to each other and making sure that everyone was on the proper spaceship, the hatches between the two were closed as preparations for undocking this afternoon continue.
The doors between the shuttle and the outpost were officially marked as closed at 12:57 p.m. EST, ending six days, 18 hours and 26 minutes of time in which the crews could float freely between the two.
Undocking remains on schedule for 3:05 p.m. EST.
Endeavour pilot Paul Lockhart will be at the controls as he backs the shuttle away from the outpost, maneuvers to a point above the station and then performs a final separation burn.
About an hour later the shuttle crew plans to deploy a small Air Force satellite experiment into Earth orbit that is designed to study orbital mechanics and the way the tiny spacecraft interact with each other.
All of this will set up a landing opportunity on Wednesday back at the Kennedy Space Center. Unfortunately the early weather outlook is pessimistic.
Mission managers want to return Endeavour to Florida for reasons involving science research with the Expedition Five crew, avoiding the expense and schedule hit of landing in California and because Florida is where all the families of the crewmembers are.
With enough consumables to remain in space through the weekend, Endeavour could wind up spending an extra day or two in orbit waiting for the Florida weather to clear.
We will next update this page after undocking is confirmed.
Shuttle Endeavour departs ISS
Monday, Dec. 2, 2002 at 3:10 p.m. EST
Endeavour pulled away from the International Space Station right on schedule this afternoon, undocking as expected at 3:05 p.m. EST over northwestern Australia. Endeavour has now set sail for its planned return to Earth on Wednesday.
Pilot Paul Lockhart is at the controls of the spaceplane and is backing away from the orbiting outpost. He'll fly to a point about 400 feet ahead of the station and then begin a quarter-loop up overhead of the ISS and then fire the jets again to separate the two ships.
That separation maneuver is expected about an hour after undocking.
Another hour or so later, the shuttle crew plans to deploy a small Air Force satellite experiment into Earth orbit that is designed to study orbital mechanics and the way the tiny spacecraft interact with each other.
Remaining aboard the space station is the Expedition Six crew. They will get to enjoy a day off tomorrow and then settle into their routine for the next four months or so. The next visitors they see will be their ride home in March.
Inside Endeavour is the STS-113 crew and the returning Expedition Five crew, who are now in the midst of their 180th day in space. Officially they spent 178 days on board the station.
Landing is targeted for Wednesday at 3:48 p.m. EST, but bad weather is forecast for Wednesday and Thursday, with clearing expected on Friday. Endeavour has enough consumables to remain in space into the weekend, so it could be that the shuttle mission will last a couple of days longer than planned.
Stay tuned to this page for updates on the mission.
Endeavour crew eyes Wednesday landing
Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2002 at 6:45 p.m. EST
NASA flight director Wayne Hale has just finished briefing news media on the agency's plans for returning Endeavour to Earth on Wednesday.
Weather is a concern, but officials are about 70 percent sure that conditions will be acceptable enough to allow the shuttle to commit itself for the hypersonic dive through the atmosphere.
Rainshowers and the possibility of thunderstorms in the area are the main worries as a developing storm system approaches Central Florida Wednesday afternoon. The weather is expected to be completely unacceptable on Thursday, with clear weather forecast for Friday.
NASA's landing strategy this time is to concentrate on trying to get Endeavour back to Florida through Friday, if necessary, and then begin looking at coming home to Florida or California -- whichever site looks good first. The shuttle has enough consumables to remain in orbit until Sunday afternoon.
If all goes according to plan on Wednesday, the shuttle's payload bay doors will be closed at 12:02 p.m. EST and the shuttle's braking rockets fired at 2:42 p.m. EST. That will set up a landing that is now targeted for 3:48 p.m. EST on runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center.
Another landing opportunity is available at KSC at 5:26 p.m. EST -- but with the weather marginal for the first attempt, it's expected only to get worse by the time the second opportunity comes up.
We will provide frequent updates to this page on Wednesday beginning about 11 a.m. EST.
Weather just might cooperate
Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2002 at 10:50 a.m. EST
NASA mission commentator Rob Navias summed up the weather situation today very nicely when he said: "Although it's not pristine, it's not the worst we've ever seen."
Scattered clouds that could turn broken and the chance of rainshowers within 30 miles of the air field remain the concerns for this first attempt to bring shuttle Endeavour home to the Kennedy Space Center today.
But overall there is a great deal of optimism that conditions will be acceptable and allow mission commander Jim Wetherbee to fire Endeavour's twin orbital maneuvering system engines at 2:42 p.m. EST and set up a touchdown on runway 15 at 3:48 p.m. EST.
At this hour the crew is beginning to step through their entry checklist and are scheduled to close the spaceplane's cargo bay doors at 12:02 p.m. EST. That will be followed almost immediately by the loading of the entry and landing software into the shuttle's computers.
Stay tuned to this page for updates throughout the day. Our next update will come after we have confirmed the doors are shut and the landing software is loaded -- probably about 12:30 p.m. EST.
As the landing gets closer, you are invited to watch along on our feed of NASA TV by clicking on the link above.
Payload bay doors are closed
Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2002 at 12:20 p.m. EST
Endeavour's 60-foot-long payload bay doors were closed right on schedule today at 12:02 p.m. EST as the crew in space and flight controllers on the ground continue to plan for a landing of the shuttle at the Kennedy Space Center this afternoon.
The latest weather briefing offered an increasingly optimistic outlook that a "go" for landing will be given on the first of two homecoming opportunities in Florida today.
Although the skies here are not clear by any means, there is enough blue showing to safely allow a landing on runway 15 if the conditions do not deteriorate.
A build up of clouds and the movement of other clouds closer to the Cape is not happening as quickly as first thought, giving mission managers hope they will be able to sneak the shuttle in before conditions are expected to worsten later today and into tonight.
Moments after the payload bay doors closed, the entry and landing software was loaded into the shuttle's computers and all continues to go well as the crew works through their checklists.
The next major milestone for the crew will be to put on their orange launch and entry spacesuits and then strap themselves in for the hypersonic dive through the atmosphere. That is expected to happen during the next hour or so.
If all continues to go well, the de-orbit burn will take place at 2:41 p.m. EST and lead to a touchdown in Florida at 3:48 p.m. EST.
Deorbit burn still possible
Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2002 at 1:40 p.m. EST
Endeavour's return home to the Kennedy Space Center today remains an increasingly likely possibility. Weather folks have removed the threat of rain from their forecasts but the clouds remain a concern, with the threat being if they grow too much and the ceiling over the field closes in.
Pressing his desire to come home today, Endeavour commander Jim Wetherbee prompted laughter in Mission Control when he radioed: "Sounds good on the ceiling, I never look out the window anyway. Just kidding, Houston."
A decision on this first landing opportunity must come before the shuttle is in the right place over the planet to fire its braking rockets and commit itself to the hour-long hypersonic dive through the atmosphere.
For this first landing attempt today, that time is 2:41 p.m. EST, a little more than an hour from this writing.
Stay tuned to this page for updates. We will next update this page at the time of the de-orbit burn -- either to confirm its happened or not.
As the landing gets closer, you are invited to watch along on our feed of NASA TV by clicking on the link above.
Endeavour can't make first landing opportunity
Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2002 at 2:22 p.m. EST
A sudden build up of clouds over the Kennedy Space Center has prevented Mission Control from giving a "go" for Endeavour to come home as planned.
The plan for now will be to let Endeavour circle the planet one more time and to continue to assess the weather here in Central Florida, hoping that the dynamic conditions will allow some chance of a landing on the second and final opportunity for today.
If things go well, the de-orbit burn would happen at 4:20 p.m. EST and the landing would follow at 5:26 p.m. EST -- basically at the time of sunset.
However, it might be that Mission Control is going to throw in the towel early and tell the crew to get out of their suits to wait for another day.
Stay tuned to this page for updates.
Mission Control will take another shot at it
Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2002 at 2:50 p.m. EST
Flight controllers have decided to make another run at getting Endeavour home today.
The forecast is "marginal, at best," according to mission commentator Rob Navias.
A deorbit burn would take place at 4:20 p.m. EST and the landing would take place at 5:26 p.m. EST, right at sunset.
Going into today, NASA had enough supplies on board Endeavour to make six landing attempts during the course of four days. They have already used up one of those attempts and will now use a second.
The thinking is basically that a marginal shot at landing today is better than no shot, and with enough supplies to make four more more attempts it wouldn't hurt to try one more time today and see what happens. Plus, the weather picture for Thursday and Friday is changing somewhat in that Friday's forecast isn't expected to be as ideal as first thought.
The approaching storm system that is the root of all this evil is slowing a bit and is likely to take a little more time to clear the area.
Endeavour has enough supplies to stay in space until Sunday afternoon, but that would be an extreme situation. NASA would bring the shuttle home to California before getting that far.
The situation seems to change with every moment, so stay tuned to this space to see what happens.
Shuttle will remain in space another day
Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2002 at 3:55 p.m. EST
Flight controllers have given up on the Kennedy Space Center for today and have told shuttle Endeavour's crew to back out of their landing checklists and stay in space at least another day.
Unfortunately, clouds, rain and even a chance of a thunderstorm is possible on Thursday as a strong storm system moves across the Florida peninsula. The clouds that prevented landing today were in advance of that front.
However, the flight control philosophy is to not make a decision until you have to, so Mission Control in Houston will take a look at Thursday's weather in the morning and see what's happening before they decide if it's worth making a run at it.
The first landing opportunity on Thursday would see the deorbit burn at 1:49 p.m. EST and landing at 2:53 p.m. EST, while the second landing opportunity would start with ignition of the braking rockets at 3:26 p.m. EST and a touchdown on the Florida runway at 4:30 p.m. EST.
The forecast for Friday at KSC improves over Thursday, but still is not ideal.
Endeavour has enough supplies to remain in space until Sunday afternoon, and to make four more landing attempts. So flight controllers are going to be very careful about when they make their next landing attempt. It's unclear if or when NASA would call up Edwards Air Force Base in California as a back up site.
The weather situation started out very optimistic Wednesday, but in the minutes before Endeavour would have fired its orbital maneuvering system and commit to a landing, the skies over the Cape Canaveral area filled in with broken and overcast layers of clouds that persisted through the afternoon.
Meanwhile, a few miles southeast of the Shuttle Landing Facility and across the Banana River at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, NASA is counting down to launch of an Atlas 2A rocket that is to carry a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite.
So with Endeavour's landing waved off for the day, we invite you to follow our countdown coverage on our Next Launch page.
Our next update to this page will come on Thursday morning as we get first word from Mission Control on the weather picture.
Thursday looks bad, decision expected soon
Thursday, Dec. 5, 2002 at 10 a.m. EST
We're expecting word from NASA within the hour on whether or not Mission Control will formally make a landing attempt of shuttle Endeavour at the Kennedy Space Center today.
Forecasts still are very pessimistic and the winds are already out of limits at the Shuttle Landing Facility. Concerns for later in the day include clouds, wind, rain and thunderstorms -- and looking out our windows here to the north and northwest you can see the line of storms approaching.
Mission managers want to keep their options open until the very last possible moment today, which would come just before Endeavour's payload bay doors would have to be closed in about an hour.
Stay tuned to this page for an update, expected before noon.
NASA gives up on Thursday landing
Thursday, Dec. 5, 2002 at 11:05 a.m. EST
Shuttle Endeavour won't be coming home today.
The weather over the Kennedy Space Center is getting worse by the moment as thick clouds and additional nastiness is moving quickly through the skies of Florida's Space Coast.
As a result, Mission Control has just told the crew to relax and enjoy another day of circling the planet every 90 minutes -- a mixed blessing for the Expedition Five crew who are now in their 183rd day in space and are anxious to get home to see their families and friends.
Two landing attempts are available on Friday in Florida and the early outlook is that the second opportunity looks better than the first as this storm system will need time to clear the area.
The first opportunity would begin with a deorbit burn at 12:51 p.m. EST and a landing at 1:57 p.m. EST, while the second chance would start with a firing of the braking rockets at 2:27 p.m. EST and a touchdown in Florida at 3:33 p.m. EST.
Because the weather forecasts are nearly ideal for landing in both Florida and at the back up landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Saturday, mission managers have elected not to call up Edwards on Friday.
Endeavour continues to have enough life support consumables to remain in space until Sunday afternoon and enough propellant to make four more landing attempts, which would support two tries on Friday and then likely a landing on the first attempt Saturday at whichever site is best first.
That's going to be the story for today so our next update to this page will come first thing Friday morning as the entry flight control team goes on duty at Mission Control in Houston and we get our first look at Friday's weather.
It's Groundhog Day...
Friday, Dec. 6, 2002 at 9 a.m. EST
Mission Control woke up the Endeavour flight crew this morning by playing Sonny and Cher's classic "I Got You Babe," the song that was featured prominently in the Bill Murray comedy "Groundhog Day," in which a man lives the same day over and over again until he get's it right.
An updated version of that script might go like this: Landing flight director Wayne Hale woke up this morning, went outside his home in Florida -- OK, so he lives in Houston, but this is a movie -- looked down, didn't see his shadow and then declared Endeavour's mission would last six more weeks.
That's basically the situation today: another repeat of the past couple of days with the same bleak outlook. There are low clouds, rain and wind associated with a cold front that has -- at last -- arrived in full force over the Kennedy Space Center today, so the chances of Endeavour landing today are basically slim to none.
The official forecast for the first opportunity at 1:57 p.m. EST is solidly no go, while the outlook for the second opportunity at 3:33 p.m. EST is slightly more optimistic. But realistically it seems the best bet will be for a landing in either Florida or California tomorrow.
Similar to yesterday, the plan now is to continue with deorbit preparations up until the point where a decision has to be made on maneuvering the orbiter so the astronauts can close the payload bay doors. That's scheduled for 10:11 a.m. EST.
It's probable that Mission Control will hold off on that order, allow Endeavour to circle the planet again and then make the call as to whether or not they want to make a run at the second landing attempt this afternoon.
Should that not happen, Endeavour will stay in space one more day and land somewhere on Saturday. It would be the first time in shuttle program history that a mission would end after being extended four days.
The forecasts for both coasts look good, with Edwards Air Force Base the better of the two sites -- although there is a "go" forecast for Florida on Saturday, and that's where NASA would try to land Endeavour first.
We expect to update this page again in the next hour or so.
It's Still Groundhog Day...
Friday, Dec. 6, 2002 at 9:50 a.m. EST
Things are shaping up for today to be a repeat of Thursday.
Mission Control has just informed the Endeavour crew that they will not attempt to land on the first opportunity in Florida today because of the stormy conditions that are both observed and forecast for the Kennedy Space Center.
The hope is that as this cold front continues moving through Central Florida -- albeit slowly -- there could be a break in the weather for the second landing attempt, which would lead to a touchdown here at 3:33 p.m. EST.
The next decision point comes in another hour or so when Endeavour would have to maneuver to a certain orientation before closing its payload bay doors for the trip home.
It's very possible that NASA flight controllers will decide to wave off the second opportunity as well and keep Endeavour in space yet another day, while waiting for weather to clear in Florida.
Saturday would be the day Endeavour would land, one way or the other. Forecasts for Florida and at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Saturday are acceptable, so there is full confidence the mission will end safely tomorrow, if not today.
If the mission's end is delayed to Saturday, it would be the first time in shuttle program history that a flight was extended four days -- "a dubious footnote in history," said mission commentator Rob Navias.
We will update this page again in about 90 minutes or so.
Weather still looks bad, but NASA pressing on
Friday, Dec. 6, 2002 at 11:45 a.m. EST
NASA mission managers have decided to press on with an attempt to land at the Kennedy Space Center this afternoon.
The weather is still "no go" at KSC and forecasts remain dismal, but with enough propellant available to safely attempt a landing today, as well as three attempts on Saturday and two attempts on Sunday, it doesn't hurt to run through the motions today.
"Although it would appear to be an effort in futility today... but with optimism always available, costing nothing except a minimal amount of propellant... should the weather somehow miraculously clear this afternoon... the crew will press ahead with their deorbit preparations," said mission commentator Rob Navias.
There is a definite line where the clouds end and clear skies reign that is just beginning to sweep across the Florida peninsula, but those clear conditions are not expected to make it to KSC in time for a landing at 3:33 p.m. EST. Still, when it comes to Florids weather, stranger things have happened.
So flight controllers, in an effort to be ready just in case, will continue with re-entry plans up until the point where the de-orbit burn is planned for 2:27 p.m. EST.
The next step is for Endeavour's payload bay doors to be closed and the entry software loaded into the orbiter computers.
Stay tuned to this page for our next update in about an hour.
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