HOUSTON – The seven-member crew of Atlantis is packing the orbiter and preparing to return home, wrapping up the 31st shuttle flight to the International Space Station.
Commander Charlie Hobaugh, Pilot Barry Wilmore and Mission Specialists Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman, Leland Melvin, Robert Satcher Jr. and Nicole Stott were awakened at 12:28 a.m. with the song “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra. It was played for Stott.
Cabin stowage will start at 3:48 a.m.
Hobaugh and Wilmore, with help from Bresnik, will check out the flight control surfaces, including the rudder and the wing flaps at 4:48 a.m. Those surfaces will guide Atlantis’ unpowered flight through the atmosphere to a landing. Immediately afterwards, at 5:58 a.m., the astronauts will test fire reaction control system thrusters. The thrusters will control the shuttle’s orientation as it descends and begins its re-entry through the atmosphere.
All seven crew members will take a break at 8:13 a.m. to talk with news media representatives. During the 20 minute chat they’ll take questions from ABC Radio, WTVT-TV in Tampa and KCBS in Los Angeles.
After setup on the mid-deck of a recumbent seat for Nicole Stott, returning after 90 days in space, 80 as a station crewmember, and stowage of the shuttle’s Ku-band antenna, the crew is scheduled to go to bed at 4:28 p.m. They’ll be awakened at 12:28 a.m. Friday for their scheduled Kennedy Space Center landing. The first opportunity would have Atlantis touching down at 8:44 a.m. Friday.
The next shuttle status report will be issued at the end of the crew day, or earlier if events warrant.
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1 a.m. CST Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas