24 November 2002
Text: Shuttle Endeavour Prepares for Space Station Docking
(New crew bringing 14-ton truss segment and replacement crew) (490) After a successful launch from Florida's Kennedy Space Center on November 23, the Shuttle Endeavour is rapidly closing on the orbiting International Space Stations, with docking scheduled for Monday evening, according to the latest NASA reports. The Shuttle Endeavour is bringing three new residents -- the sixth such team to live aboard the International Space Station -- along with a 14-ton truss segment that will become part of the station's "backbone." The truss segments will provide heating, cooling, and support for the space station's solar array, scheduled to be delivered next year. NASA provides a variety of updates and background features on the current shuttle mission at: http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/. Following are excerpts from the NASA's first two reports on the current mission, which is designated STS-113: (begin text) Press Release Excerpts National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA Control Center Houston, Texas November 24, 2002 STS-113 Shuttle Endeavour Chases International Space Station After Successful Launch Space Shuttle Endeavour lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on November 23, carrying three new residents and a 14-ton truss segment to the International Space Station. By 1450 GMT November 24, the Endeavour was about 4,345 kilometers behind the International Space Station and closing. Onboard the space station, the Expedition Five crew, Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev continued preparations for the arrival of Endeavour, and their replacement crew. In preparation for Monday's docking, Endeavour's crew -- Commander Jim Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart, Mission Specialists Mike Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington, and the Expedition Six crew Commander Ken Bowersox, NASA ISS science officer Don Pettit and flight engineer Nikolai Budarin -- will verify operation of the equipment used during docking. The centerline camera will be installed in the docking system, the orbiter docking system ring will be extended, and a variety of handheld cameras and distance-measuring devices will be checked out. In addition, Lopez-Alegria and Herrington will inspect and checkout the spacesuits they will wear during three scheduled spacewalks to install and outfit the P1 truss segment. Monday's docking to the International Space Station sets the stage for those three spacewalks to be conducted over a period of five days. The P1 truss is the third such segment to be launched this year, one of 11 truss segments that will form the structural backbone of the station. The trusses will also provide cooling and support for new solar arrays, which will be delivered to the station next year. Bowersox, Budarin and Pettit will become the sixth resident crew to live and work in space aboard the International Space Station, replacing the current Expedition Five residents who began their 173rd day in space on November 24. (end text) (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
