The
seven-astronaut crew of NASA's STS-126 mission to the International Space
Station (ISS) to launched on Nov. 14, 2008 to repair a damaged solar array-rotating gear and set the stage for larger, six-person crews to the orbital laboratory.
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STS-126 Mission Elapsed Time
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Commanded
by veteran spaceflyer Chris Ferguson, the seven-astronaut STS-123 crew is flying a
planned 15-day mission to stage four spacewalks, swap out one member of the station's Expedition 18 crew and install a second kitchen, bathroom, new gym equipment, a space food fridge, two spare bedrooms and a novel recycling system that turns urine and sweat into drinking water.
Below is SPACE.com's
special report of NASA's STS-126 mission. Stories appear in reverse chronological
order, with the most recent updates first. This page was last updated on November 22, 2008.
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 | Space Shuttle Gears up for Home Improvement in Orbit
Set to ride up to the station aboard Endeavour are a spare space toilet, a second kitchen, a two new bedrooms, gym equipment and a novel system to recycle urine into fresh drinking water. Consider it a high-tech version of "This Old House" in space.
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Space Station's Extreme Makeover
Astronauts Set for Toughest Spacewalk in Station Fix
Two astronauts are set to make their toughest spacewalk yet for a space station fix.
Spaceflight Going 'Wonderful' Despite Glitches, Astronauts Say
WASHINGTON - Astronauts aboard NASA's shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station said Friday that their joint mission is going well despite glitches with a new recycling system built to convert urine and sweat into drinking water.
Astronauts Tackle Glitches with Space Water Recycler
NASA astronauts and engineers are tackling an odd glitch with a new recycling system designed to convert astronaut urine and sweat back into drinking water aboard the International Space Station, flight controllers said Friday.
Spider Success! Weightless Webs Spun in Space
Two plucky spiders on the International Space Station have bounced back from a tangled false start to weave amazing new webs in zero gravity, astronauts said Friday.
Spacewalkers Tune Up 10-Year-Old Space Station
Two NASA astronauts ventured outside the International Space Station on the orbiting lab's 10th birthday Thursday in a spacewalk to continue tune-up work on the outpost's massive starboard side gear.
Tracking Ten Years of Space Station 'Stuff'
Imagine for the moment that you moved into a one bedroom apartment 10 years ago. Over the course of the past decade, you've torn down seven walls between your room and the neighbors, giving you a total of eight rooms. You needed the extra space as 15 of your friends sent 167 people to move in, some staying as long as six months. Oh, and did we mention your place lacks gravity?
Tracking Ten Years of Space Station 'Stuff'
Two astronauts will celebrate the International Space Station's 10th birthday with some mundane, but much needed, spacewalk maintenance today.
Astronaut Laments Lost Spacewalk Tool Bag
NASA astronaut Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper is lamenting the lost tool bag that escaped her grip during a Tuesday spacewalk outside the International Space Station.
Astronaut Plumbers Get to Work on Space Station
A crack team of astronaut plumbers got down to business aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday to hook up a new system that recycles urine into drinking water.
Spacewalkers Lose Tool Bag During Space Station Lube Job
A spacewalking astronaut faced down a grease gun explosion only to lose a tool bag on Tuesday during an ambitious clean-and-grease job outside the International Space Station.
Astronauts Watch Space Spiders Weave Wild Webs
A pair of orb weaver spiders flying aboard the International Space Station have fought a battle with weightlessness and lost.
Astronauts to Begin Space Station Gear Tune-Up in Spacewalk
A pair of Endeavour shuttle astronauts will venture outside the International Space Station (ISS) today on the first of four scheduled spacewalks to clean up a clogged solar array gear.
Shuttle Endeavour's Heat Shield in Good Shape
NASA's space shuttle Endeavour appears to be in good shape, with engineers finding no need for an extra inspection of the spacecraft's vital heat shield, mission managers said late Monday.
Shuttle Astronauts to Move In Aboard Space Station
It was moving day at the International Space Station Monday as astronauts aboard NASA's shuttle Endeavour delivered a portable room packed with new home additions for the orbiting laboratory.
Home Improvement Crew Arrives at Space Station
A crew of astronaut plumbers and electricians arrived at the International Space Station aboard NASA's shuttle Endeavour on Sunday to add an extra kitchen, bathroom and new bedrooms to the orbiting laboratory.
Shuttle Astronauts to Dock at Space Station Today
The space shuttle Endeavour is closing in on the International Space Station, where its seven-astronaut crew plans to dock today and deliver a new crewmate and vital gear to expand the orbiting laboratory to handle double-sized crews.
Endeavour Astronauts Scan Shuttle Heat Shield for Damage
Astronauts aboard NASA's space shuttle Endeavour inspected their spacecraft's heat shield for damage Saturday while engineers on Earth tackled minor communications glitches as the orbiter heads toward a weekend rendezvous with the International Space Station.
Astronauts to Inspect Shuttle Heat Shield for Dings
Astronauts aboard NASA's shuttle Endeavour will survey their spacecraft's heat shield for dings or other damage today as they prepare for a Sunday arrival at the International Space Station (ISS).
After 'Remarkable' Night Launch, Complex Shuttle Flight Ahead
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The brilliant blaze of NASA's space shuttle Endeavour as it rocketed into orbit under the light of a nearly full moon late Friday is just the beginning of a challenging, but vital, flight to the International Space Station (ISS) , mission managers said.
Next Stop, Space Station
Shuttle Endeavour Blasts Off Toward Space Station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The space shuttle Endeavour lit up the nighttime sky above Florida late Friday as it launched seven NASA astronauts on an ambitious orbital renovation project at the International Space Station.
Space Shuttle Endeavour to Launch Tonight
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Seven NASA astronauts and the space shuttle Endeavour are poised to launch tonight on what they've called an extreme home improvement job at the International Space Station.
Weather Odds Improve for Friday Shuttle Launch
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The odds are improving for NASA's planned Friday launch of the space shuttle Endeavour as weather concerns dipped slightly today, mission managers said.
Space Shuttle Astronauts Ready to Fly
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Seven NASA astronauts are spending what they hope will be their last day on Earth before launching toward the International Space Station Friday night aboard the shuttle Endeavour.
Space Shuttle Endeavour Go for Friday Launch
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The shuttle Endeavour and seven NASA astronauts are cleared for their planned Friday night launch toward the International Space Station, mission managers said Tuesday.
Space Shuttle Gears up for Home Improvement in Orbit
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - When NASA's shuttle Endeavour launches toward the International Space Station this Friday, it will be hauling the mother lode of new gear for some orbital renovations.
NASA Watches Weather for Friday Shuttle Launch
NASA is keeping an eye on the weather as it prepares the shuttle Endeavour for a Friday night launch toward the International Space Station.
Astronauts Prepare for Extreme Home Makeover in Space
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - The International Space Station is about to get all the comforts of a modern, high-end, "green" home: a fancy recycling water filter, a new fridge, extra bedrooms, workout equipment and the essential half-bath.
Astronauts in Space Encourage Americans to Vote
NASA astronauts on Earth and in space have sent in their votes for the U.S. presidential election and encouraged all Americans to remember to cast their own ballots today.
Endeavour Astronauts Set for Space Station Mission
WASHINGTON - Seven astronauts are set to rocket toward the International Space Station aboard NASA's shuttle Endeavour next week to help outfit the orbiting laboratory to support double-sized crews.
Space Shuttle Endeavour Cleared for Nov. 14 Launch
The space shuttle Endeavour is set for a Nov. 14 launch toward the International Space Station, where astronauts hope to deliver new gear that will prime the orbital outpost for double-sized crews, top NASA officials announced late Thursday.
Shuttle Astronauts Practice Escape Drill for Launch
The seven-astronaut crew of NASA's shuttle Endeavour strapped into their spacecraft Wednesday for a dress rehearsal of their planned November launch toward the International Space Station.
Endeavour Shuttle Crew Eager for Launch Test Run
Endeavour's seven crewmembers jetted into Kennedy Space Center on Sunday, less than three weeks before their planned Nov. 14 liftoff to the International Space Station.
Shuttle Endeavour Swaps Launch Pads for November Liftoff
The space shuttle Endeavour moved to a new launch pad Thursday to gear up for a supply run to the International Space Station next month.
Launch Line Shuffle
NASA Moves Up November Shuttle Launch
The space shuttle Endeavour is set to blast off two days early next month while engineers on Earth continue to study a Hubble Space Telescope glitch that added months of delay to a separate orbiter flight, NASA officials announced Friday.
Shuttle Endeavour Moves to Launch Pad as Rescue Ship
The space shuttle Endeavour rolled out to a Florida launching pad early Friday to serve as a rescue craft for its sister ship Atlantis in what is expected to be the last time in history that NASA has two orbiters in launch position at the same time.
NASA: Hurricane Won't Delay Shuttle Flights
NASA still aims to move Endeavour out to Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39B this week, and it appears that the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Ike in Houston will not delay the agency's next two shuttle missions, officials said Monday.
NASA's Hurricane Recovery Could Delay Two Shuttle Flights
NASA started what will be a slow recovery from Hurricane Ike at the Houston home of Mission Control on Sunday, one likely to trigger delays in the agency's next two shuttle flights.
NASA Moves Rescue Shuttle, Prepares for Hurricane Ike
The space shuttle Endeavour, the rescue ship for NASA's planned October mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, moved a step closer to the launch pad Thursday as the agency closed down its Houston-based astronaut training center to prepare for an incoming hurricane.
Storms Delay Shuttle Missions to Hubble, Space Station
NASA's space shuttle Atlantis will blast off two days late next month due to delays from recent storms that have also waylaid a planned November shuttle mission, agency officials said Friday.
NASA Won't Launch Fall Shuttle Missions Early
NASA mission managers decided Thursday not to push for earlier launch dates for two space shuttle missions set to blast off this fall.
NASA Moves Up Fall Launch Date Targets
NASA is moving up target launch dates for its next two shuttle missions by three days each in a bid to get both off the ground before a window of opportunity closes in late November.
NASA Hopes to Move Up Shuttle Launch Dates
NASA wants to move up launch dates for its next two shuttle missions to ensure the second can be sent up before a window of opportunity closes in late November, officials said Tuesday.
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