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06/07/2006
Shuttle undamaged during launch
The crew of Discovery have examined the Space Shuttle with the Orbiter Boom Sensor System today and found no evidence of any damage from debris during the launch.
The inspection lasted several hours as Mission Specialists Lisa Nowak and Stephanie Wilson checked out the robotic arm, then manoeuvered it to lift the 50-foot-long sensor arm from the starboard sill of the Shuttle's payload bay.
Assisted by Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Mark Kelly and Mission Specialist Mike Fossum, Nowak and Wilson began the painstaking examination of the reinforced carbon-carbon panels along the leading edge of Discovery’s starboard wing, looking for any evidence of damage.
While the survey proceeded, Mission Specialist Piers Sellers completed the setup of on board computers and cameras and Mission Specialist Thomas Reiter of the European Space Agency prepared Discovery’s middeck for the planned transfer of supplies onto the International Space Station later today.
The first item to be transferred after docking is Reiter’s customized seat liner for his return to earth abaord a Russain Soyuz vehicle.
As a German national Reiter will be the station’s 13th crew mamber, and the first ISS crewmember who is neither an American nor a Russian.
Sellers and Fossum, who also installed the centerline camera in Discovery’s docking mechanism, completed a checkout of the spacesuits they will wear during scheduled spacewalks on Flight Days 5 and 7. The EVAs will evaluate the combination of ISS robot arm and OBSS as a work platform for astronauts repairing a damaged shuttle orbiter and restore the station’s Mobile Transporter to full operation to support continued station assembly.
On board ISS Commander Pavel Vinogradov and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams used digital cameras to take high-resolution photos of the shuttle's heat shield when performed a nose over tail somersault at a range of 600 feet from the station.
They also prepared the special adapter for Discovery's successful docking with the ISS on Thursday.
(SP/KMcA)
The inspection lasted several hours as Mission Specialists Lisa Nowak and Stephanie Wilson checked out the robotic arm, then manoeuvered it to lift the 50-foot-long sensor arm from the starboard sill of the Shuttle's payload bay.
Assisted by Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Mark Kelly and Mission Specialist Mike Fossum, Nowak and Wilson began the painstaking examination of the reinforced carbon-carbon panels along the leading edge of Discovery’s starboard wing, looking for any evidence of damage.
While the survey proceeded, Mission Specialist Piers Sellers completed the setup of on board computers and cameras and Mission Specialist Thomas Reiter of the European Space Agency prepared Discovery’s middeck for the planned transfer of supplies onto the International Space Station later today.
The first item to be transferred after docking is Reiter’s customized seat liner for his return to earth abaord a Russain Soyuz vehicle.
As a German national Reiter will be the station’s 13th crew mamber, and the first ISS crewmember who is neither an American nor a Russian.
Sellers and Fossum, who also installed the centerline camera in Discovery’s docking mechanism, completed a checkout of the spacesuits they will wear during scheduled spacewalks on Flight Days 5 and 7. The EVAs will evaluate the combination of ISS robot arm and OBSS as a work platform for astronauts repairing a damaged shuttle orbiter and restore the station’s Mobile Transporter to full operation to support continued station assembly.
On board ISS Commander Pavel Vinogradov and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams used digital cameras to take high-resolution photos of the shuttle's heat shield when performed a nose over tail somersault at a range of 600 feet from the station.
They also prepared the special adapter for Discovery's successful docking with the ISS on Thursday.
(SP/KMcA)
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Nasa: No Shuttle Tile Repair Required
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Alice Gross Murder: Post-Mortem To Be Carried Out On Zalkalns
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