http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle en-us
The additional time to evaluate the issue has pushed Discovery's rollout to Kennedy's Launch Pad 39A to Tuesday, Aug. 4 at 12:01 a.m. EDT instead of Monday.

Any work to replace the valve and associated hardware will be done at the launch pad. Managers are assessing how to integrate the additional work with standard prelaunch processing activities.

The astronauts for Discovery's STS-128 mission to the International Space Station still are scheduled to begin their launch dress rehearsal and related training Wednesday, Aug. 5. The Terminal Countdown Demonstration test, as the rehearsal is known, is set to conclude Friday, Aug. 7.

Discovery remains targeted for launch no earlier than Aug. 25.]]> Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:27:25 GMT
"The folks that have worked this mission really deserve a lot of praise for what they got accomplished during the time that we were docked to the International Space Station," STS-127 Commander Mark Polansky said during an afternoon news conference Friday. "In addition to that, it's a tremendous pleasure and honor to bring back a great astronaut from Japan, Koichi Wakata."

Wakata returned from the station as a member of the STS-127 crew after serving as the outpost's flight engineer since March. Replacing him aboard the station is Flight Engineer Tim Kopra. When asked how he is handling the return to Earth, Wakata replied, "When the hatch opened, I smelled the grass from the ground and was glad to be back home. Still feeling a little shaky when I walk, but I'm feeling very good."

The 16-day mission showcased the international partnerships involved in the space station effort. Astronauts from five space agencies were on board the orbiting complex.

"It was truly an impressive demonstration of international collaboration all throughout this mission," said Canadian Space Agency Director General of Operations Benoit Marcotte.

The astronauts' return to Houston's Ellington Field is tentatively set for about 5 p.m. Saturday.]]> Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:42:43 GMT
"I can't say enough how great this mission was," NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier said during a post-landing news conference. "We got everything accomplished on board the space station that we needed to do with this mission. Then to cap it off with a wonderful landing like today was just phenomenal."

The 16-day mission showcased the international partnerships involved in the space station effort. Astronauts from five space agencies were on board the orbiting complex, and all contributed to the completion of the Kibo laboratory.

"This was a thorough success of planning from teams all around the world," said Canadian Space Agency Director General of Operations Benoit Marcotte. "It was truly an impressive demonstration of international collaboration all throughout this mission."

The astronauts' return to Houston's Ellington Field is tentatively set for about 5 p.m. Saturday.]]> Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:48:20 GMT
"It's a great day to be here at (Kennedy)," Commander Mark Polansky said as the crew members prepared to depart the runway. "What a fantastic mission."

The post-landing news conference is set for approximately 1 p.m. and will air live on NASA Television. The crew's news conference is set to begin at about 3:15 p.m. The astronauts' return to Houston's Ellington Field is tentatively set for about 5 p.m. Saturday.

STS-127 was the 127th space shuttle mission, the 23rd flight for Endeavour and the 29th shuttle visit to the station.]]> Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:37:06 GMT
Commander Mark Polansky is expected to make a brief statement on the runway after the post-landing walk-around of the shuttle. The post-landing news conference is set for approximately 1 p.m. and will air live on NASA Television. The crew’s news conference is set to begin at about 3:15 p.m. The astronauts return to Houston's Ellington Field is tentatively set for about 5 p.m. Saturday.

STS-127 was the 127th space shuttle mission, the 23rd flight for Endeavour and the 29th shuttle visit to the station.]]> Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:48:51 GMT Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:41:59 GMT Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:28:02 GMT Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:56:52 GMT
Space shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to land at Florida's Kennedy Space Center Today with a touchdown at 10:48 a.m. The shuttle would begin its descent from orbit with a deorbit engine firing at 9:42 a.m. Weather conditions at Kennedy are forecast to be favorable for landing, although a slight chance of rain is possible.]]> Fri, 31 Jul 2009 08:16:48 GMT
A second opportunity exists for a landing in Florida on Friday, beginning with a deorbit engine firing at 11:17 a.m., leading to a 12:22 p.m. touchdown.]]> Thu, 30 Jul 2009 22:28:06 GMT Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:24:14 GMT Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:02:09 GMT
Early in the day, STS-127 Commander Mark Polansky and Pilot Doug Hurley will test the thruster jets and aerodynamic control surfaces that will be used to guide Endeavour to a landing planned for 10:48 a.m. Friday. Flight Director Bryan Lunney and the entry team of flight controllers will be in Mission Control to monitor the tests.

Once those checks are complete, the crew will deploy two pairs of small satellites.]]> Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:06:04 GMT
Space shuttle Endeavour undocked Tuesday from the International Space Station at 1:26 p.m. EDT. After completing a fly-around of the space station, Endeavour performed a maneuver to separate from the station.

Shuttle astronauts will inspect Endeavour’s heat shield one more time today as they begin to set their sights on a Friday landing.

Endeavour’s thermal protection system was cleared for landing earlier in the flight. This late inspection will ensure that there has been no impact damage from micrometeoroids or space junk during its docked operations or fly-around of the station.]]> Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:19:03 GMT
After completing a fly-around of the space station, shuttle Endeavour will perform a maneuver to separate from the station.

NASA TV will air tonight’s Mission Status Briefing at 6 p.m. The participants are International Space Station Program Manager Mike Suffredini; Annette Hasbrook, deputy manager of Mission Operations, ISS; and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Deputy Project Manager, Kibo Operations Project Team Tetsuro Yokoyama.]]> Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:35:07 GMT
The station will be reoriented for undocking by 12:38 p.m., and docking latches will open at 1:26 p.m. allowing Endeavour to drift free. Pilot Doug Hurley will guide Endeavour on a fly-around of the station at a distance of 400 feet, with final separation from the orbiting outpost at 2:41 p.m.]]> Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:08:57 GMT
Commander Mark Polansky and his team will begin checking out the laser rangefinders and other equipment that will be used to provide precise readings on the distance between the two spacecraft.

The station will be reoriented for undocking by 12:38 p.m., and docking latches will open at 1:26 p.m. allowing Endeavour to drift free. Pilot Doug Hurley will guide Endeavour on a fly-around of the station at a distance of 400 feet, with final separation from the orbiting outpost at 2:41 p.m.]]> Tue, 28 Jul 2009 09:02:20 GMT Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:02:28 GMT
Marshburn and Cassidy secured multi-layer insulation around the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator known as Dextre, split out power channels for two space station Control Moment Gyroscopes, installed video cameras on the front and back of the new Japanese Exposed Facility and performed a number of “get ahead” tasks, including tying down some cables and installing handrails and a portable foot restraint to aid future spacewalkers. The deployment of the Payload Attach System on the Starboard 3 truss was deferred to another spacewalk sometime in the future.

This was the fifth and last planned STS-127 spacewalk, the 130th in support of International Space Station assembly and maintenance, totaling 810 hours, 36 minutes. It was the 102nd spacewalk out of space station airlocks and the 218th American spacewalk in history. It was the third for both Marshburn and Cassidy, Marshburn totaling 18 hours, 59 minutes and Cassidy 18 hours, five minutes.

This was the second space station assembly mission to conduct five spacewalks. STS-123 also performed five spacewalks in March 2008. The five STS-127 spacewalks totaled 30 hours, 30 minutes. The five STS-123 spacewalks totaled 33 hours, 29 minutes.

At 6 p.m., NASA Television will air a Mission Status briefing with STS-127 Lead Flight Director Holly Ridings and STS-127 Lead Spacewalk Officer Kieth Johnson.]]> Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:31:50 GMT Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:21:29 GMT Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:35:32 GMT
While Marshburn secures multi-layer insulation around the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator known as DEXTRE, Cassidy will split out power channels for two of the four space station Control Moment Gyroscopes. Next, Marshburn and Cassidy will install video cameras on the front and back of the new Japanese Exposed Facility. And their final task will be to deploy a Payload Attach System on the Starboard 3 truss that will provide storage capability for spare space station hardware.]]> Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:37:37 GMT Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:35:36 GMT
Spacewalkers Tom Marshburn and Chris Cassidy head outside to begin STS-127’s final spacewalk at 8:28 a.m. EDT. They first will secure multi-layer insulation around the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator known as DEXTRE. On the Zenith 1 patch panel, they will split out power channels for two of the four space station Control Moment Gyroscopes, which provide non-propulsive attitude control for the station. Currently two of the gyros are fed from the same power channel, and this activity will prevent a failure on one channel from disabling both of the gyros. Next, Marshburn and Cassidy will install video cameras on the front and back of the new Japanese Exposed Facility. And their final task will be to deploy a Payload Attach System on the Starboard 3 truss that will provide storage capability for spare space station hardware. The spacewalk is planned to last no more than six hours, 30 minutes.]]> Mon, 27 Jul 2009 07:44:41 GMT
The Exposed Section was launched with two science experiments and a communication system that were transferred to the Kibo Exposed Facility earlier in the mission.]]> Sun, 26 Jul 2009 13:50:06 GMT Sun, 26 Jul 2009 11:58:17 GMT
The space station and space shuttle robotic arms will get their exercise today, removing the Japanese Exposed Section from the Japanese Exposed Facility and placing it back into Endeavour’s payload bay. Later in the day all 13 crew members will field questions from reporters gathered at various NASA centers for a Joint News Conference. Mission Control is putting the final touches on plans for Monday’s fifth spacewalk, while monitoring the space station’s Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) that currently is operating in manual mode following a shutdown on Sunday.]]> Sun, 26 Jul 2009 08:16:03 GMT
Today’s planned 11 a.m. Mission Status Briefing has been canceled.

The station crew goes to sleep at 7:33 p.m., followed 30 minutes later by the shuttle crew.]]> Sat, 25 Jul 2009 14:58:19 GMT Sat, 25 Jul 2009 13:14:46 GMT
The space station crew woke up at 4:33 a.m., but Endeavour’s crew was allowed to sleep in a little late. Today is an off-duty day for all 13 aboard the International Space Station and space shuttle. Before taking time off, Endeavour Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Chris Cassidy, Julie Payette, Tom Marshburn and Dave Wolf will answer media questions from WISH-TV in Indianapolis, Ind., CBS News and WREG-TV in Memphis, Tenn.]]> Sat, 25 Jul 2009 09:59:10 GMT
The six new installed batteries function as expected and the old batteries are stored on a cargo carrier that will be placed in Endeavour’s payload bay later today.

This was the fourth of five STS-127 spacewalks, the 129^th in support of International Space Station assembly and maintenance, totaling 805 hours, 42 minutes. It was the 101st spacewalk out of space station airlocks and the 217^th American spacewalk in history. It was the second for both Cassidy and Marshburn.

NASA Television airs a Mission Status briefing at 7 p.m. with STS-127 Lead Flight Director Holly Ridings and STS-127 Lead Spacewalk Officer Kieth Johnson.]]> Fri, 24 Jul 2009 21:10:38 GMT
Six hours, 23 minutes into the spacewalk, Cassidy and Marshburn are performing a few clean up chores and are expected to end the excursion before the scheduled seven hour, 30 minute mark.]]> Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:23:11 GMT Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:01:50 GMT Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:01:09 GMT
Space station CAPCOM Aki Hoshide told the two spacewalkers that Mission Control estimates the spacewalk will last eight hours, 30 minutes if all the batteries are replaced. Oxygen in both spacesuits will need to be recharged in the Quest airlock before 7:30 elapsed time.]]> Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:52:21 GMT
In total, four of the six Port 6 batteries earmarked for installation are in place. Two more will be swapped out before the end of this planned 7.5-hour spacewalk. Both spacesuits continue to perform normally.]]> Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:32:10 GMT


An hour and 35 minutes into the spacewalk, they are on the planned timeline and their spacesuit consumable levels are normal.]]> Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:32:56 GMT
They will replace four of the remaining Port 6 truss batteries in a planned seven and a half hour spacewalk. Two of the six original P6 batteries were changed out during the mission’s third spacewalk on Wednesday before work was cut short because of anomalous carbon dioxide levels in Cassidy’s suit. The lithium hydroxide canister that scrubs CO2 from the suit was replaced for today’s spacewalk.

The new batteries are stored on the Integrated Cargo Carrier – Vertical Light Deployable, or ICC-VLD positioned near the Port 6 truss. Cassidy and Marshburn will work together to remove insulation from the old Port 6 batteries, install scoops to gently remove them, pass the batteries back and forth to a stowage location on the ICC-VLD, and repeat the process to replace them with the new batteries.

Each new battery assembly consists of 38 lightweight Nickel Hydrogen cells and associated electrical and mechanical equipment. Two battery assemblies connected in series are capable of storing a total of 8 kW of electrical power. This power is fed to the space station via the Battery Charge/Discharge Unit and Direct Current Switching Unit respectively. The batteries have a design life of 6.5 years and can exceed 38,000 charge/discharge cycles at 35% depth of discharge. Each battery measures 40” by 36” by 18” and weighs 375 pounds.]]> Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:59:05 GMT
Spacewalkers Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn will head outside at 9:58 a.m. to swap out all four of the remaining P6 truss batteries, a task that is expected to take about seven and a half hours. Two of the six original P6 batteries were changed out during the mission’s third spacewalk on Wednesday, but work was stopped when carbon dioxide levels in Cassidy’s suit began to rise unexpectedly.]]> Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:37:40 GMT
MAXI, SEDA-AP and ICS all are installed on the Exposed Facility. MAXI is the Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image experiment and SEDA-AP is the Space Environment Data Acquisition equipment – Attached Payload experiment. ICS is the Inter-orbit Communication System, the Kibo-specific communications system for uplinking and downlinking data, images and voice between Kibo and the Mission Control Center at Tsukuba Space Center by way of Japan’s own relay satellite, the Data Relay Test Satellite, or DRTS.]]> Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:31:58 GMT
MAXI was hard-mated to the Exposed Facility at 11:24 a.m. EDT.]]> Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:28:47 GMT
At 9 a.m. EDT NASA Television will air a news conference introducing the crew of Expedition 21, astronaut Jeff Williams, Russian cosmonaut Maxim Suraev and spaceflight participant Guy Lalibert� of Canada.

The Kibo robotic arm will be used for the first time operationally to move space station hardware. Koichi Wakata and Tim Kopra will transfer two experiments and a communication system from the Japanese Exposed Section to the Japanese Exposed Facility. The Inter-orbit Communication System (ICS) is the Kibo-specific communications system for uplinking and downlinking data, images and voice between Kibo and the Mission Control Center at Tsukuba Space Center by way of Japan’s own relay satellite, the Data Relay Test Satellite, or DRTS. The two experiments are Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI) and Space Environment Data Acquisition equipment – Attached Payload (SEDA-AP).]]> Thu, 23 Jul 2009 09:44:54 GMT
The pair removed multilayer insulation from the Kibo module and readied the Japanese Exposed Section payloads for their transfer to the Exposed Facility on Thursday, but they were unable to replace all six of the original batteries on the International Space Station's Port 6 truss 2B power channel. The remaining batteries will be replaced on a future spacewalk.

This was the third of five STS-127 spacewalks, the 128th in support of International Space Station assembly and maintenance, totaling 798 hours, 30 minutes. It was the 100th spacewalk out of space station airlocks and the 216th American spacewalk in history. It was Wolf's seventh spacewalk, totaling 41 hours, 57 minutes and placing him 14th on the all-time list. It was Cassidy's first excursion.

NASA Television airs a Mission Status briefing at 7:30 p.m. with STS-127 Lead Flight Director Holly Ridings and STS-127 Lead Spacewalk Officer Kieth Johnson.]]> Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:43:51 GMT Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:01:54 GMT
Wolf and Cassidy first will remove multilayer insulation from the Kibo module and prepare the Japanese Exposed Section payloads for their transfer from the Exposed Section to the Exposed Facility on Thursday. Then they will focus on battery replacements. The space station power system is a photovoltaic system that gathers solar power and stores it in batteries. Wolf and Cassidy will replace four of six old batteries in one of the six station power channels, channel 2B. In preparation for the task, the old batteries have been drained and the electrical loads normally handled by 2B have been placed on different power channels.

The new batteries are stored on the Integrated Cargo Carrier – Vertical Light Deployable, or ICC-VLD. Endeavour astronauts Doug Hurley and Julie Payette are using the space station robotic arm to move the ICC-VLD to the spacewalk worksite area near the Port 6 truss. Wolf and Cassidy will work together in a carefully rehearsed process to remove insulation from the old Port 6 batteries, install scoops to gently remove them, pass the batteries back and forth to a stowage location on the ICC-VLD, and repeat the process to replace them with the new batteries.

Each new battery assembly consists of 38 lightweight Nickel Hydrogen cells and associated electrical and mechanical equipment. Two battery assemblies connected in series are capable of storing a total of 8 kW of electrical power. This power is fed to the space station via the Battery Charge/Discharge Unit and Direct Current Switching Unit respectively. The batteries have a design life of 6.5 years and can exceed 38,000 charge/discharge cycles at 35% depth of discharge. Each battery measures 40” by 36” by 18” and weighs 375 pounds.]]> Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:37:10 GMT Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:32:48 GMT
The highlight of today’s activities is the third spacewalk. Dave Wolf and Chris Cassidy will focus on replacing four of the six the original batteries on the Port 6 Solar Array power channel, with help from robotic arm operators inside the space station. Operations commence at 10:33 a.m. EDT when the station arm moves the Integrated Cargo Carrier, filled with new batteries, to the spacewalk worksite. At 10:58 a.m., the spacewalk begins. After setting up their work area and performing a few other tasks, Wolf and Cassidy will work in tandem to remove four old batteries from the Port 6 truss and exchange them with new ones from the cargo carrier. The remaining two batteries will be changed out during the fourth spacewalk on Friday.]]> Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:13:05 GMT
Endeavour’s crew is enjoying off-duty time this afternoon before undertaking preparations for Wednesday’s third spacewalk. At 5:58 p.m. the crew will conduct a spacewalk procedure review and at 8:28 p.m. spacewalkers Dave Wolf and Chris Cassidy will camp out in the Quest Airlock. The International Space Station crew goes to sleep at 9:33 p.m., followed 30 minutes later by the shuttle crew.]]> Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:58:22 GMT
When the handoff was complete, the station arm installed it on the Exposed Facility at about 10:36 a.m., as the International Space Station had just passed over Japan. Payette radioed the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Mission Control team in Tsukuba, Japan, that the hard mate was complete.

The Exposed Section carries three Japanese experiments that the Kibo robotic arm will move to the "porch" on Thursday.

Later this morning, the station arm will grab the Integrated Cargo Carrier from the station's mobile base system and move it to an overnight park position in preparation for Wednesday's spacewalk.]]> Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:43:19 GMT
Robotic activities dominate the crew’s timeline today as the shuttle and space station robotic arms power up to move the Japanese Exposed Section from Endeavour’s payload bay to the end of the Japanese Exposed Facility. Then the station arm will move the Integrated Cargo Carrier – Vertical Light Deployable, or ICC-VLD, from its location on the mobile transporter to an overnight park position. Later it will be moved to the Port 6 solar array area for spacewalkers to access spare batteries on Wednesday.

Endeavour Commander Mark Polansky and his crew members will answer questions from Twitter and YouTube before enjoying some off duty time.]]> Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:14:56 GMT
Wolf and Marshburn completed most of their planned tasks, deferring a video camera setup to a future spacewalk. Wolf removed three hardware spares – a Ku-Band Space-to-Ground Antenna, a Pump Module and a Linear Drive Unit, from the Integrated Cargo Carrier – Vertical Light Deployable (ICC-VLD). With each spare in hand, Wolf rode the space station robotic arm from the ICC to the Port 3 external stowage platform (ESP-3), where he and Marshburn attached them for long-term storage. Julie Payette and Doug Hurley operated the robotic arm. Marshburn mounted a grapple bar onto an ammonia tank assembly so that the STS-128 space shuttle mission in August can move the tank by robotic arm. Marshburn also attached two insulation sleeves for the Station to Shuttle Power Transfer System.

This was the second of five STS-127 spacewalks, the 127th in support of International Space Station assembly and maintenance, totaling 792 hours, 31 minutes. It was the 215th American spacewalk in history. It was Wolf’s sixth spacewalk, totaling 38 hours, 44 minutes and placing him 19th on the all-time list. It was Marshburn’s first excursion.

NASA Television airs a Mission Status briefing at 8:30 p.m. with STS-127 Lead Flight Director Holly Ridings and STS-127 Lead Extravehicular Activity Officer Kieth Johnson.]]> Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:26:20 GMT Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:37:50 GMT Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:45:14 GMT
Next, robotic arm operators Julie Payette and Doug Hurley will move Wolf back to the cargo carrier, where he will retrieve a Pump Module. The arm will swing Wolf back to ESP-3 so he and Marshburn can attach the Pump Module there. They will repeat the same process to move a Linear Drive Unit to ESP-3 for long-term storage. Finally, they will move a television camera that was launched on the Japanese Exposed Facility (JEF) to its final location on JEF.]]> Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:28:13 GMT
They reactivated the system and early indications are it is working well. The crew has been given a “go” to use WHC.

The WHC is one of three toilets available to the combined 13-member crew, which had been using a similar facility in the Russian Zvezda module and the facility in space shuttle Endeavour since Sunday’s failure.]]> Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:40:15 GMT
The pair will retrieve three hardware spares from the Integrated Cargo Carrier – Vertical Light Deployable, or ICC-VLD, and place them in a long-term storage location on the outside of the station’s Port 3 truss. On Sunday, robotic arm operators moved the cargo carrier to a location where Wolf and Marshburn can easily access it.

First, Wolf and Marshburn will retrieve a Ku-Band Space-to-Ground Antenna from the ICC-VLD and place it in the Port 3 External Stowage Platform, ESP-3. Next, they will transfer a Pump Module that is part of the station’s exterior thermal control system, and a Linear Drive Unit that helps the mobile transporter move along the truss backbone, to ESP-3. Marshburn will take a fixed grapple bar and preposition it on an ammonia tank assembly in preparation for its replacement on STS-128 in August. Finally, both spacewalkers will move a television camera that was launched on the Japanese Exposed Facility (JEF) to its final location on JEF. The spacewalkers will be assisted by Julie Payette and Doug Hurley, who will help move Wolf from the ICC-VLD to the ESP-3 on the space station robotic arm.]]> Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:31:20 GMT Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:22:52 GMT
Space station Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Frank De Winne donned protective gear to install the replacement parts.

This is one of three toilets available to the 13-member crew, which has been using a similar toilet in the Russian Zvezda module and Endeavour’s toilet, the Waste Collection System, or WCS. The temporary shutdown of the Destiny toilet has no significant impact on joint docked operations.]]> Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:31:22 GMT th anniversary of man’s historic first lunar landing and moonwalk, the combined space shuttle and space station crew of 13 was awakened to the theme from the 1960s television series “Thunderbirds,” by composer Barry Gray, for Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette.
The Apollo 11 lunar excursion was the 13^th U.S. spacewalk. Today, Dave Wolf and Tom Marshburn will conduct the 215^th spacewalk by Americans. They will transfer three hardware spares from a cargo pallet to an external stowage platform on the space station’s Port 3 truss. Their 6.5-hour spacewalk starts at 11:28 a.m. EDT.]]> Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:42:16 GMT Sun, 19 Jul 2009 22:20:30 GMT
The WHC’s Dose Pump failed after running for about 15 minutes. About six liters of pre-treat flush water is believed to have flowed into the pump separator and into other areas it should not be. Ground experts have decided to replace sections of the system with spare parts that are on orbit, and that work will be started this afternoon.

Meanwhile, STS-127 Mission Specialist Koichi Wakata repaired the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device, or ARED, with a new “dashpot,” a shock absorber that helps prevent the vibrations caused by exercise from interfering with science experiments.]]> Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:43:13 GMT
The ICC-VLD contains three on-orbit spares that spacewalkers Dave Wolf and Tom Marshburn will move to a stowage platform on the outside of the Port 3 truss during Monday’s second spacewalk.

On NASA Television at 6:08 p.m., Canadian astronauts Julie Payette and Bob Thirsk will talk with Canadian Industry Minister Tony Clement, Canadian Space Agency President Steve MacLean and reporters in St. Hubert, Quebec.]]> Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:05:46 GMT
While an inconvenience, this is not a serious issue. Temporarily, the six station crew members all will use the facilities in the Russian Zvezda module and the seven space shuttle Endeavour astronauts will use the shuttle facilities, the Waste Collection System, or WCS.]]> Sun, 19 Jul 2009 15:10:21 GMT
The ICC-VLD is an aluminum pallet eight feet long, 13 feet wide and 10 inches thick that carries cargo on the top and bottom faces. For STS-127; it carries six replacement batteries for the Port 6 solar array and three on orbit spares - a Space-to-Ground Antenna (SGANT), Pump Module Assembly (PMA) and Linear Drive Unit (LDU).

At 11:03 a.m., Polansky and Hurley will hand off the ICC-VLD to space station robotic arm operators Julie Payette and Tim Kopra, who will install it about 50 minutes later on the station’s mobile base system. From that location, spacewalkers Dave Wolf and Tom Marshburn will move the spare SGANT, PMA and LDU to a Port 3 stowage platform during Monday’s spacewalk.]]> Sun, 19 Jul 2009 14:48:56 GMT th person to do so.

Today, the 13-member crew will remove the Integrated Cargo Carrier – Vertical Light Deployable from Endeavour’s payload bay and place it at the base of the station’s mobile transporter. The crew also will repair the station’s Advanced Resistive Exercise Device, using new parts delivered by Endeavour.]]> Sun, 19 Jul 2009 10:44:50 GMT
Wake up for the shuttle and station crews Sunday is scheduled for 6:33 a.m.]]> Sun, 19 Jul 2009 02:32:52 GMT
The process involved three robotic arm systems. The space station and shuttle arms moved JEF from Endeavour’s payload bay to the Kibo laboratory and Kibo’s robotic arm was used to view the installation. There was a slight delay while verifying the structural latch between JEF and Kibo.

At 7:45 p.m. NASA Television will carry a post-Mission Management Team (MMT) news briefing with MMT chair Mike Moses. At 9 p.m. NASA TV will air a Mission Status news briefing with STS-127 Lead Space Station Flight Director Holly Ridings, STS-127 Lead Extravehicular Activity Officer Kieth Johnson, and Japanese Exploration Agency Deputy Project Manager, Kibo Operations Project Team Tetsuro Yokoyama.]]> Sat, 18 Jul 2009 23:38:51 GMT
Lead spacewalker Dave Wolf and Tim Kopra prepared the berthing mechanisms on the Kibo laboratory and the Japanese Exposed Facility (JEF) for the JEF installation on Kibo, removed insulation and power cables from the Integrated Cargo Carrier, restrained brake handles on the Crew Equipment Translation Aid on the left side of the Mobile Transporter, and successfully deployed an Earth-facing Unpressurized Cargo Carrier Attachment System, or UCCAS, on the station’s port side. They were behind the timeline and deferred work that was planned to set up a payload attachment system on the right side of the station’s truss.

This was the 126^th spacewalk in support of space station assembly and maintenance, totaling 785 hours, 38 minutes. It was the 214^th overall spacewalk conducted by American astronauts. It was Dave Wolf’s fifth spacewalk, following one aboard Mir and three during STS-112. It was Kopra’s first spacewalk.]]> Sat, 18 Jul 2009 21:59:32 GMT
Today, Wolf and Kopra used a new tool to press the detents out of the way so that the pallet could be put in its correct configuration. The UCCAS will be used in the future to store equipment and supplies on the outside of the station.

With the EVA clock at three hours and 48 minutes, the crew is about an hour behind the timeline.]]> Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:12:10 GMT
So far, Wolf and Kopra have completed their work to prepare Kibo for the JEF installation, removed insulation and power cables from the Integrated Cargo Carrier, and restrained brake handles on the Crew Equipment Translation Aid on the left side of the Mobile Transporter.

Next, they will use a specially designed tool to release an Unpressurized Cargo Carrier Attachment System, or UCCAS, on the station's port side. The UCCAS, which failed to deploy during STS-119 in March, will be used in the future to store equipment and supplies on the outside of the station.]]> Sat, 18 Jul 2009 19:24:49 GMT
The station arm will move to a new location where the shuttle arm will hand the new Kibo component back to it, and then the station arm will be used to move the new "porch" into position for installation to the Kibo pressurized module.]]> Sat, 18 Jul 2009 19:05:10 GMT Sat, 18 Jul 2009 16:25:20 GMT Sat, 18 Jul 2009 16:21:02 GMT
While Dave Wolf and Tim Kopra prepare for the mission's first spacewalk this morning, carefully choreographed robotic operations are underway aboard space shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station. The entire 13-member crew will participate in today's activities.

At 11:06 a.m. EDT Endeavour Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialist Koichi Wakata used the space station's robotic arm to grab the Japanese Exposed Facility (JEF), nestled in the shuttle payload bay. They will lift it out of the bay at 1:43 p.m., hand it to the shuttle robotic arm at 2:43 p.m., and move the station's arm into position for installation at 3:53 p.m. The shuttle arm will hand the Exposed Facility back to the station arm at 5:23 p.m., and finally the station arm will move the JEF into position for installation to the Kibo laboratory at 5:38 p.m.

Wolf and Kopra's spacewalk is scheduled to start at 11:58 a.m. They will remove insulation from Kibo's berthing mechanism, disconnect power cables providing electricity to the shuttle's Integrated Cargo Carrier, use a specially designed tool to release the station's Earth-facing Unpressurized Cargo Carrier Attachment System, secure covers on the Harmony and Unity modules' common berthing mechanisms, and set up a payload attach system on the station's backbone. Mission Specialists Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn will help coordinate the spacewalk from inside.

STS-127 Commander Mark Polansky will help out with the Exposed Facility's arm-to-arm handoffs and work with cargo, water and nitrogen transfers, and Mission Specialist Julie Payette will assist with robotic and camera operations.

Space station Expedition 20 Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineers Michael Barratt, Robert Thirsk, Roman Romanenko and Frank De Winne will help out as needed with the spacewalk and robotics tasks.]]> Sat, 18 Jul 2009 15:13:10 GMT
The first spacewalk of the mission begins at 11:58 a.m. Wolf and Tim Kopra will perform a number of tasks, including preparing the Kibo Japanese Experiment Facility (JEF) for installation on the Kibo laboratory at 5:38 p.m.]]> Sat, 18 Jul 2009 11:16:17 GMT
Spacewalkers Dave Wolf and Tim Kopra will begin their “campout” at 9:28 p.m., spending the night in the Quest airlock to reduce the preparation time needed for the mission’s first spacewalk on Saturday.

The station crew is scheduled to go to bed at about 10:30 p.m. and the shuttle crew 30 minutes later at 11. Wake up for both crews Saturday is scheduled for 7:03 a.m.]]> Sat, 18 Jul 2009 00:00:11 GMT
Hatches between Endeavour and the space station were opened at 3:48 p.m. EDT and Endeavour astronauts Mark Polansky, Doug Hurley, Christopher Cassidy, Julie Payette, Tom Marshburn, Dave Wolf, and Tim Kopra joined station crew members Gennady Padalka, Michael Barratt, Koichi Wakata, Roman Romanenko, Frank De Winne and Robert Thirsk to form the first-ever 13-member crew.

During the traditional “Welcome Ceremony,” station Commander Padalka rang the ship’s bell, signaling Endeavour’s arrival at the station. “This is a remarkable event for the whole space program,” Padalka said.

Endeavour Commander Polansky said, “Thirteen is a big number, but we are thrilled to be here.”

The new arrivals will receive a safety briefing from the space station veterans, and at 5:13 p.m. Kopra and Wakata will exchange Soyuz seatliners.]]> Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:15:06 GMT
Following leak checks, the hatches between the two craft will open at 3:43 p.m., creating the first 13-member crew in space history. Shortly after hatch opening, NASA Television will air the traditional Welcome Ceremony.

At about 5:13 p.m., Endeavour Mission Specialist Tim Kopra and space station Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata will swap crew affiliations when they exchange Soyuz seatliners. Wakata has spent 124 days in space, 122 days as a space station Expedition crew member. He is the first astronaut to span three Expedition crews – 18, 19 and 20. When he lands aboard Endeavour, he will have served as a member of five space crews, including STS-119 and STS-127.]]> Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:53:22 GMT Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:48:04 GMT Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:34:43 GMT Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:58:21 GMT Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:25:58 GMT
Today is docking day in space, as Endeavour closes the gap with the International Space Station. The two craft are scheduled to mate at 1:55 p.m. Prior to the docking, Endeavour will perform the standard Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver, a back flip that allows station astronauts to take high resolution photos of the shuttle heat shield for analysis by Mission Control in Houston.]]> Fri, 17 Jul 2009 11:26:35 GMT


Today is docking day in space, as Endeavour closes the gap with the International Space Station. The two craft are scheduled to mate at 1:55 p.m. Prior to the docking, Endeavour will perform the standard Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver, a back flip that allows station astronauts to take high resolution photos of the shuttle heat shield for analysis by Mission Control in Houston.]]> Fri, 17 Jul 2009 11:20:57 GMT
While inspections take place to ensure Endeavour’s wing leading edge panels and nosecap are in good shape, imagery experts will continue to assess the overall health of the shuttle’s thermal protection system. The early review indicates only a few minor dings in some tiles is present in video due to some unexpected losses of small foam pieces from the external tank.

Endeavour’s crew also checked out spacesuits that will be used during the five spacewalks planned during the docked phase of the mission. In preparation for docking, the crew tested rendezvous equipment, installed an orbiter docking system “centerline” camera and extended the docking ring atop the docking system before heading for its eight hour sleep period beginning about 9 p.m. EDT.]]> Fri, 17 Jul 2009 01:13:58 GMT
A Mission Status/Post Mission Management Team briefing is scheduled for 5 p.m. on NASA TV. The participants will be Lead Shuttle Flight Director Paul Dye and Space Shuttle Program Manager John Shannon, who chaired today’s MMT.]]> Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:56:57 GMT Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:36:06 GMT
"It was a testimony for this entire launch and flight control team," Launch Director Pete Nickolenko said of the countdown and successful liftoff, which came on the sixth launch attempt after technical issues and weather concerns prevented the first five tries. "It was an outstanding effort, and it made the complex look really easy. It really was a case of persistence."

Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations, also commended the launch effort, but cautioned that the mission to come is "very challenging," with five spacewalks and robotic activities scheduled. "The teams are fully prepared -- they're ready to go do what they need to go do, and we look forward to the exciting activities as we install the Exposed Facility out on the Kibo module."]]> Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:00:01 GMT
There will be a post-launch news conference on NASA TV shortly. Watch it live at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv]]> Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:12:21 GMT Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:03:21 GMT Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:54:23 GMT
There are no technical issues being reported by the launch team, and weather conditions continue to improve. Storms to the northwest have dissipated, while a system to the northeast is not interfering with the countdown at this point. At this point, weather is "go" on all constraints.

The astronauts are strapped into Endeavour's crew module. Once the launch pad closeout crew closed and latched Endeavour's side hatch for flight, they finished up their work in the pad's environmentally controlled White Room before departing to a roadblock a safe distance away.]]> Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:09:54 GMT
Earlier today, cumulus clouds, anvil clouds and lightning caused the Eastern Range to go "red" on several weather rules, meaning those conditions were a violation of launch safety rules. But Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters has advised Launch Director Pete Nickolenko that the range now is "green" on all constraints. Storms to the northwest have dissipated, while a system to the northeast is not interfering with the countdown at this point.

The astronauts are strapped into Endeavour's crew module. Once the launch pad closeout crew closed and latched Endeavour's side hatch for flight, they finished up their work in the pad's environmentally controlled White Room before departing to a roadblock a safe distance away.]]> Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:03:47 GMT
Earlier today, cumulus clouds, anvil clouds and lightning caused the Eastern Range to go "red" on several weather rules, meaning those conditions were a violation of launch safety rules. But Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters has advised Launch Director Pete Nickolenko that the range now is "green" on all constraints. Storms to the northwest have dissipated, while a system to the northeast is not interfering with the countdown at this point.

The astronauts are strapped into Endeavour's crew module. Once the launch pad closeout crew closed and latched Endeavour's side hatch for flight, they finished up their work in the pad's environmentally controlled White Room before departing to a roadblock a safe distance away.]]> Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:50:32 GMT
Earlier today, cumulus clouds, anvil clouds and lightning caused the Eastern Range to go "red" on several weather rules, meaning those conditions were a violation of launch safety rules. But Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters has advised Launch Director Pete Nickolenko that the range now is "green" on all constraints. Storms to the northwest have dissipated, while a system to the northeast is not interfering with the countdown at this point.

The astronauts are strapped into Endeavour's crew module. Once the launch pad closeout crew closed and latched Endeavour's side hatch for flight, they finished up their work in the pad's environmentally controlled White Room before departing to a roadblock a safe distance away.]]> Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:41:45 GMT
The launch pad closeout crew has closed and latched Endeavour's side hatch for flight. They're finishing up their work in the pad's environmentally controlled White Room before leaving.

Weather continues to attract the launch team's attention as the countdown continues. Storms to the northwest of the launch area are dissipating, while a system northeast of Kennedy also is being closely watched. The forecast chance of weather allowing a launch today is still 60 percent.

The countdown is going well, and if weather permits, Endeavour and its crew of seven astronauts will lift off on a 16-day mission to the International Space Station at 6:03 p.m. EDT.]]> Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:28:04 GMT
While the countdown is proceeding smoothly, there are several weather issues the launch team is monitoring. Storms to the northwest of the launch area are expected to dissipate, while a system northeast of Kennedy also is being closely watched. Overall, the forecast calls for a 60-percent chance of favorable weather by launch time.

With the astronauts safely aboard, the launch pad closeout crew has closed Endeavour's side hatch.

Endeavour's external fuel tank is fully loaded with its supercold liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants. Weather permitting, liftoff remains on schedule for 6:03 p.m. EDT.]]> Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:37:58 GMT
The countdown continues smoothly this afternoon. Weather at Kennedy remains at a 60-percent chance of favorable weather for launch this evening. Storms in the area are forecast to move away by launch time as the East coast seabreeze moves to the west. Launch managers and weather officers are in frequent contact and are monitoring conditions closely.

Tanking operations are complete and Endeavour's external fuel tank is fully loaded with its supercold liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants. Weather permitting, liftoff remains on schedule for 6:03 p.m. EDT.]]> Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:30:04 GMT
Weather at Kennedy remains at 60-percent chance for favorable weather for launch this evening. Storms in the area are forecast to move away by launch time as the East coast seabreeze moves to the west. Launch managers and weather officers are in frequent contact and are monitoring conditions closely.

Tanking operations are complete and Endeavour's external fuel tank is fully loaded with its supercold liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants. Weather permitting, liftoff remains on schedule for 6:03 p.m. EDT.]]> Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:10:15 GMT
Weather at Kennedy remains at 60-percent chance for favorable weather for an early-evening liftoff at 6:03 p.m. Right now, the Eastern Range is "red" due to clouds and lightning in the area. This weather is forecast to move out of the area by launch time as the East coast seabreeze moves to the west. Launch managers and weather officers are in frequent contact and are monitoring conditions closely.

Tanking operations are complete. with both propellants -- liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen -- now in stable replenish. The loading of the space shuttle's external tank began at 8:38 a.m. and proceeded smoothly throughout the three-hour process.]]> Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:15:17 GMT
Tanking operations are complete. with both propellants -- liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen -- now in stable replenish. The loading of the space shuttle's external tank began at 8:38 a.m. and proceeded smoothly throughout the three-hour process.

Weather at Kennedy remains at 60-percent chance for favorable weather for an early-evening liftoff at 6:03 p.m. The primary weather concerns for launch are the potential for showers and thunderstorms near the Shuttle Landing Facility.

Full countdown coverage will begin at 12:30 p.m. on NASA Television and NASA's Launch Blog.]]> Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:44:39 GMT
Tanking operations are nearing completion. The loading of the space shuttle's external tank with a half-million gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen began at 8:38 a.m. EDT. The three-hour process provides the fuel and oxidizer Endeavour's three main engines need for the 8 1/2 minute trip to orbit.

Weather at Kennedy remains at 60-percent chance for favorable weather for an early-evening liftoff at 6:03 p.m. The primary weather concerns for launch are the potential for showers and thunderstorms near the Shuttle Landing Facility.

Full countdown coverage will begin at 12:30 p.m. on NASA Television and NASA's Launch Blog.]]> Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:38:10 GMT
Weather at Kennedy remains at 60-percent chance for favorable weather for an early-evening liftoff at 6:03 p.m. The primary weather concerns for launch are the potential for showers and thunderstorms near the Shuttle Landing Facility.

Today's live tanking coverage began at 8:30 a.m. Full countdown coverage will begin at 12:30 p.m. on NASA Television and NASA's Launch Blog.]]> Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:58:23 GMT
With a 60 percent chance of favorable weather, Endeavour’s launch outlook is an improvement over the previous two attempts. Tries on Sunday and Monday both were thwarted when bad weather approached the launch area, violating stringent launch safety rules.

The Mission Management Team will meet this morning at 8 a.m. to give a "go" for fueling of Endeavour's external fuel tank. With the managers' approval, fueling operations will begin at 8:38 a.m.

Today's live tanking coverage began at 8:30 a.m. Full countdown coverage will begin at 12:30 p.m. on NASA Television and NASA's Launch Blog.]]> Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:53:31 GMT
With a 60 percent chance of favorable weather, Wednesday's launch outlook is an improvement over the previous two attempts. Tries on Sunday and Monday both were thwarted when bad weather approached the launch area, violating stringent launch safety rules.

The Mission Management Team will meet Wednesday at 8 a.m. to give a "go" for fueling of Endeavour's external fuel tank. With the managers' approval, fueling operations will begin at 8:30 a.m.]]> Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:20:37 GMT
With a 60 percent chance of favorable weather, Wednesday's launch outlook is an improvement over the previous two attempts. Tries on Sunday and Monday both were thwarted when bad weather approached the launch area, violating stringent launch safety rules.

The Mission Management Team will meet Wednesday at 8 a.m. to give a "go" for fueling of Endeavour's external fuel tank. With the managers' approval, fueling operations will begin at 8:30 a.m.]]> Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:37:24 GMT
Monday's attempt was canceled due to poor weather conditions within the launch area at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Anvil clouds and storm cells containing lightning flared up toward the end of the countdown, violating stringent launch safety rules.

"Technically, we've been really clean the last two days with our vehicle," Launch Integration Manager Mike Moses said of Endeavour's launch attempts on Sunday and Monday. "It's just been the weather scenario that got us."

The outlook is better on Wednesday, with only a 40 percent chance of weather conditions prohibiting liftoff.]]> Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:41:26 GMT
Today's attempt was canceled due to poor weather conditions within the launch area at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Anvil clouds and storm cells containing lightning flared up toward the end of the countdown, violating stringent launch safety rules.

A postponement briefing will air live on NASA Television at 8 p.m. EDT this evening. The participants will be Launch Integration Manager Mike Moses and STS-127 Shuttle Launch Director Pete Nickolenko. Watch it live at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv]]> Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:53:38 GMT Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:39:55 GMT
The countdown is going relatively smoothly, with no technical issues in work. Although launch managers and weather officials are monitoring weather conditions around the launch area and Shuttle Landing Facility very closely, liftoff remains scheduled for 6:51 p.m. EDT.

Watch for countdown clocks to resume ticking backwards at 6:42 p.m. when the T-9-minute hold is released.]]> Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:57:40 GMT
The closeout crew has left the pad and are in place at a roadblock a safe distance away.

No technical issues are in work, but storms within 20 nautical miles of the Shuttle Landing Facility are a concern, and the range is currently "no-go" due to lightning in the area. Launch managers and weather personnel continue keeping a wary eye on the weather.]]> Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:47:46 GMT
Launch managers and weather personnel continue keeping a wary eye on the weather.]]> Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:38:11 GMT
The weather forecast for launch time calls for a 40 percent chance of weather acceptable for liftoff. Weather conditions are very dynamic in Florida at this time of year, and weather officers are concerned about the potential for showers and storms. Weather has not impacted the countdown so far today, and launch and weather personnel are monitoring conditions closely.]]> Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:53:05 GMT
Launch is scheduled for 6:51 p.m. EDT. Endeavour's external fuel tank was filled earlier today with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. These propellants will feed the shuttle's three main engines during the climb to orbit.

As is common in Florida in the summer, the weather situation today is very dynamic. Launch managers and weather officers are monitoring conditions closely.]]> Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:30:19 GMT
Launch is scheduled for 6:51 p.m. EDT. Endeavour's external fuel tank was filled earlier today with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. These propellants will feed the shuttle's three main engines during the climb to orbit.

As is common in Florida in the summer, the weather situation today is very dynamic. Launch managers and weather officers are monitoring conditions closely.]]> Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:33:48 GMT
The countdown is proceeding, but weather is still a concern for today's planned liftoff. Launch managers and weather officers are monitoring conditions closely.]]> Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:03:59 GMT
The countdown has resumed at T-3 hours and liftoff is scheduled for 6:51 p.m. EDT.

Weather is still a concern, however, and launch managers and weather officers are monitoring conditions closely.]]> Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:57:05 GMT
The countdown is holding at the T-3-hour mark. This built-in, two-and-a-half-hour hold began at 12:26 p.m. EDT and will end at 2:56 p.m. as clocks resume counting toward liftoff at 6:51 p.m. Weather is still a concern, however, and launch managers and weather officers are monitoring conditions closely.]]> Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:35:17 GMT
The countdown has entered a two-hour, thirty-minute planned hold at T-3 hours. Launch is scheduled for a 6:51 p.m. EDT, with weather being the only concern.

Launch coverage will begin at 1:30 p.m. on NASA Television and NASA's Launch Blog.]]> Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:39:59 GMT
Weather permitting, launch is scheduled for 6:51 p.m. The forecast is 40 percent “go” for liftoff.

Today's live countdown coverage will begin at 1:30 p.m. on NASA Television and NASA's Launch Blog.]]> Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:52:02 GMT
Officials at NASA's Kennedy Space Center called off Sunday's planned liftoff due to inclement weather.

As of now, launch is scheduled for 6:51 p.m. EDT today. If a new technical issue crops up or rain gets into the thruster, teams will look to target launch for Tuesday.

Managers will meet again beginning at 8:45 a.m. this morning.

Today's live countdown coverage will begin at 1:30 p.m. on NASA Television and NASA's Launch Blog.]]> Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:21:25 GMT 6:51 p.m. EDT.

Officials at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida called off Sunday's planned liftoff due to inclement weather. Cumulus clouds and lightning violated rules for launching Endeavour because of weather near the Shuttle Landing Facility. The runway would be needed in the unlikely event that Endeavour would have to make an emergency landing back at Kennedy.

The STS-127 astronauts left Launch Pad 39A at about 8:35 p.m. EDT to return to crew quarters at Kennedy's Operations & Checkout Building for the night.

Monday's live countdown coverage will begin at 1:30 p.m on NASA Television and NASA's Launch Blog.]]> Sun, 12 Jul 2009 23:46:24 GMT
Endeavour's next launch attempt is 6:51 p.m. EDT Monday. NASA TV coverage will begin at 1:30 p.m.]]> Sun, 12 Jul 2009 23:03:28 GMT
Forecasters at NASA's Spaceflight Meteorology Group say current conditions violate rules for launching Endeavour because of weather near the Shuttle Landing Facility. The runway would be needed in the unlikely event that Endeavour would have to make an emergency landing back at Kennedy. There is also a seabreeze coming off Florida's west coast that is making the weather more dynamic.]]> Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:21:04 GMT
The seven astronauts set to carry out the STS-127 mission are all aboard space shuttle Endeavour, awaiting launch at 7:13 p.m. EDT. Endeavour's crew module hatch has been closed and locked. The launch countdown continues on schedule this afternoon at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.]]> Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:10:12 GMT
Endeavour's crew module hatch has been closed and locked. The launch countdown continues on schedule this afternoon at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.]]> Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:08:36 GMT
Weather at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida continues to cooperate and liftoff remains on schedule for 7:13 p.m. EDT.]]> Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:51:19 GMT
The seven astronauts who will fly on the STS-127 mission are on their way to Launch Pad 39A, where Endeavour is poised for flight. Once they arrive at the pad, they'll begin boarding.

Launch remains set for 7:13 p.m. EDT.]]> Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:18:52 GMT
Inside the Astronaut Crew Quarters, the seven astronauts who will fly on the STS-127 mission are climbing into their bulky, orange launch-and-entry suits. Once they are suited, they'll depart for Launch Pad 39A, where the shuttle is poised for flight.

Endeavour's external fuel tank was filled earlier today with more than 500,000 gallons of chilled liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants. The shuttle's trio of main engines will draw from the external tank during the push to orbit.

Launch remains set for 7:13 p.m. EDT.]]> Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:03:23 GMT
Endeavour's external fuel tank has been filled with more than 500,000 gallons of chilled liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants. The shuttle's trio of main engines will draw from the external tank during the push to orbit. There are no indications of a leak, and fueling has entered the "stable replenish" mode.

The closeout crew is at Launch Pad 39A preparing for the astronauts to arrive and board Endeavour later this afternoon, and the final inspection team is performing a routine scan of the space shuttle assembly to check for ice, debris or damage.

Weather is not hampering any operations at Kennedy as the countdown progresses. Launch remains set for 7:13 p.m. EDT.]]> Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:33:43 GMT
Countdown clocks have entered a planned hold at T-3 hours and everything remains on schedule for a 7:13 p.m. EDT launch of Endeavour from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Launch coverage will begin at 2 p.m. on NASA Television and NASA's Launch Blog.]]> Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:55:27 GMT
Weather forecasts remain at 70 percent chance favorable for tonight’s liftoff of space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission set for 7:13 p.m. EDT.]]> Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:13:28 GMT Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:39:34 GMT Sun, 12 Jul 2009 13:11:39 GMT Sun, 12 Jul 2009 13:05:01 GMT
None of the strikes hit the shuttle or its external tank and solid rocket boosters, but there were strikes to the lightning mast and water tower. The launch pad is equipped with a lightning protection system of wires that is intended to steer bolts away from the shuttle.

"We've seen nothing so far that shows anything affected any of the systems," said Mike Moses, chairman of the pre-launch Mission Management Team.

Two of the strikes were strong enough to trigger an evaluation by engineers just to make sure all of Endeavour's systems are ready for flight. Although early evaluations showed no problems, engineers wanted more time to make sure they have checked everything correctly.

"We need to be 100 percent confident that we have a good system across the board," Moses said.

The launch time for Sunday is 7:13 p.m. EDT. The weather forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of acceptable conditions.]]> Sat, 11 Jul 2009 15:59:52 GMT
A news conference with Mike Moses, SSP Launch Integration Manager, will be held at 11 a.m. EDT on NASA TV and on the Web at www.nasa.gov/tv.]]> Sat, 11 Jul 2009 14:42:20 GMT
Launch countdown operations remain on schedule as Endeavour and its crew of seven astronauts prepare for today's scheduled launch at 7:39 p.m.

"Everybody is 'go' for launch; we have no major issues at all," said Mike Moses, chairman of the mission management team, which completed its final review Friday. However, there is one problem the launch team may encounter on launch day: unfavorable weather. According to Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters, showers, thunderstorms and anvil clouds could interfere with the final hours of the countdown.

"By the time we get to launch time, we are going with a 60 percent chance of (Kennedy) weather prohibiting launch, so only a 40 percent chance of weather that is good for launch," Winters said.

The weather brief scheduled for 9:30 a.m. has been delayed to 10 a.m. so the launch team can review data from lightning strikes that occurred yesterday during the storm.

Tanking commentary now will begin at approximately 10:30 am.]]> Sat, 11 Jul 2009 14:21:08 GMT
Launch countdown operations remain on schedule as Endeavour and its crew of seven astronauts prepare for today's scheduled launch at 7:39 p.m.

"Everybody is 'go' for launch; we have no major issues at all," said Mike Moses, chairman of the mission management team, which completed its final review Friday. However, there is one problem the launch team may encounter on launch day: unfavorable weather. According to Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters, showers, thunderstorms and anvil clouds could interfere with the final hours of the countdown.

"By the time we get to launch time, we are going with a 60 percent chance of (Kennedy) weather prohibiting launch, so only a 40 percent chance of weather that is good for launch," Winters said.

The launch team will meet this morning at 9:30 a.m. for a weather briefing before fueling space shuttle Endeavour. Tanking coverage will begin at 10 a.m. on NASA Television.]]> Sat, 11 Jul 2009 11:32:37 GMT
The launch team will meet tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. for a weather briefing before fueling space shuttle Endeavour. Tanking coverage will begin at 10 a.m. on NASA Television.]]> Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:17:58 GMT
"Everybody is 'go' for launch; we have no major issues at all," said Mike Moses, chairman of the mission management team, which completed its final review Friday. However, there is one problem the launch team may encounter on launch day: unfavorable weather. According to Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters, showers, thunderstorms and anvil clouds could interfere with the final hours of the countdown.

"By the time we get to launch time, we are going with a 60 percent chance of (Kennedy) weather prohibiting launch, so only a 40 percent chance of weather that is good for launch," Winters said.

Rollback of the rotating service structure at Launch Pad 39A is set to begin at 11 p.m., setting the stage for the filling of Endeavour's external fuel tank Saturday at about 10:14 a.m.]]> Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:02:59 GMT
There will be a prelaunch news conference today beginning no earlier than 11:30 a.m. Watch it live on NASA TV or http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

Endeavour's liftoff is scheduled for Saturday at 7:39 p.m. Due to expected showers, thunderstorms and anvil clouds in the area, the launch weather forecast continues to be 40 percent "go." Tonight at Kennedy's Launch Pad 39A, the rotating service structure will begin to retract from around Endeavour at 11 p.m.]]> Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:15:22 GMT
There will be a prelaunch news conference today beginning no earlier than 11:30 a.m. Watch it live on NASA TV or http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

Endeavour's liftoff is scheduled for Saturday at 7:39 p.m. Due to expected showers, thunderstorms and anvil clouds in the area, the launch weather forecast continues to be 40 percent "go." Tonight at Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39A, the rotating service structure will begin to retract from around Endeavour at 11 p.m.]]> Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:06:11 GMT
"All systems are in excellent shape," NASA Test Director Steve Payne said during a morning status briefing. "The STS-127 flight crew, Endeavour and launch team are ready to go."

The STS-127 astronauts will review their flight plan today, relax and check out their launch-and-entry suits as launch day approaches.

Liftoff is scheduled for Saturday at 7:39 p.m. Due to expected showers, thunderstorms and anvil clouds in the area, the launch weather forecast continues to be 40 percent "go."]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:04:42 GMT
Liftoff is scheduled for Saturday at 7:39 p.m.]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:27:37 GMT
Launch team members will hold a Countdown Status Briefing Thursday at 10 a.m. to discuss details of the countdown.

Liftoff is scheduled for Saturday at 7:39 p.m.]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 02:01:34 GMT
Endeavour's seven astronauts arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday afternoon and are making their final preparations for launch, scheduled for July 11 at 7:39 p.m.

"At this point, I'm happy to report we are ready to proceed with the launch countdown," NASA Test Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said Wednesday morning during a countdown status briefing at Kennedy. "We're ready to (fuel) this vehicle on Saturday morning and proceed with our launch on Saturday evening."

Weather is a concern for launch, according to Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters. Due to the threat of thunderstorms, officials believe there is a 40 percent chance weather would cooperate for Saturday's liftoff.]]> Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:36:41 GMT
Endeavour's seven astronauts arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday afternoon and are making their final preparations for launch, scheduled for July 11 at 7:39 p.m.

Today's countdown status briefing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Watch it live at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv]]> Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:54:04 GMT
"I can tell you that this crew and the entire operations team are both eager and ready to get to work," said STS-127 Commander Mark Polansky after the crew stepped onto the runway. "Hopefully the next time we talk to you will be from orbit."

The STS-127 launch countdown will officially begin Wednesday at 10 p.m. when clocks begin ticking backward from T-43 hours. Liftoff is set for July 11 at 7:39 p.m.]]> Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:27:03 GMT
Endeavour's seven astronauts are due to arrive at Kennedy this afternoon at 1 p.m. EDT. The countdown will officially begin Wednesday at 10 p.m. when clocks begin ticking backward from T-43 hours. Liftoff is set for July 11 at 7:39 p.m.]]> Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:30:02 GMT
Endeavour's seven astronauts are due to arrive at Kennedy on July 7 at 2 p.m. EDT. The countdown will officially begin Wednesday at 10 p.m. when clocks begin ticking backward from T-43 hours. Liftoff is set for July 11 at 7:39 p.m.]]> Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:48:27 GMT
Two previous attempts to launch Endeavour on the STS-127 mission were halted by a leak in the area of the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, which attaches a gaseous hydrogen vent line to the external tank. After several days of investigation and repair work, the massive orange tank was filled with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as controllers watched for evidence of leaks. The system performed well, verifying the success of the repair.

"There were absolutely no leak indications whatsoever noted on the two leak detectors," said Launch Director Pete Nickolenko. "We'll continue to look at the data, and our next step is to move toward launch."

Endeavour's astronauts are taking the holiday weekend off and will go into quarantine Sunday evening. They are due to arrive at Kennedy on July 7 at 2 p.m. EDT. The countdown will officially begin Wednesday at 10 p.m. when clocks begin ticking backward from T-43 hours. Liftoff is set for July 11 at 7:39 p.m.]]> Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:25:36 GMT
The tanking test began at 6:52 a.m. EDT Wednesday. During the next three hours, teams in the Launch Control Center watched closely for signs of a leak as liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen poured into the massive orange tank. Previous attempts to launch Endeavour on the STS-127 mission were scrubbed by a leak in the area of the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, which attaches a gaseous hydrogen vent line to the external tank. Crews worked tirelessly to investigate and repair the problem.

"There were absolutely no leak indications whatsoever noted on the two leak detectors," said Launch Director Pete Nickolenko. "We'll continue to look at the data, and our next step is to move toward launch."

Endeavour's launch is targeted for July 11 at 7:39 p.m.]]> Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:00:29 GMT
At about 9 a.m., the liquid hydrogen tank was 98 percent full and the "topping" mode began. A vent valve at the top of the hydrogen tank began cycling, as planned, to disperse excess gaseous Hydrogen through a vent system that carries it safely away from the launch pad. At that point during two June launch attempts, a gaseous hydrogen leak was detected outside the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, or GUCP, where the vent line is attached.
Endeavour is targeted to launch July 11 at 7:39 p.m. EDT.]]> Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:19:13 GMT
At about 9 a.m., the liquid hydrogen tank was 98 percent full and the "topping" mode began. A vent valve at the top of the hydrogen tank began cycling, as planned, to disperse excess gaseous Hydrogen through a vent system that carries it safely away from the launch pad. At that point during two June launch attempts, a gaseous hydrogen leak was detected outside the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, or GUCP, where the vent line is attached.

NASA Television will air a news conference at 1 p.m. with Space Shuttle Program Launch Integration Manager Mike Moses and STS-127 Launch Director Pete Nickolenko. Watch the remainder of the test, and the news conference to follow, at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv]]> Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:36:06 GMT
At about 9 a.m., the liquid hydrogen tank was 98 percent full and the "topping" mode began. A vent valve at the top of the hydrogen tank began cycling, as planned, to disperse excess gaseous Hydrogen through a vent system that carries it safely away from the launch pad. At that point during two June launch attempts, a gaseous hydrogen leak was detected outside the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, or GUCP, where the vent line is attached.

NASA Television will air a news conference at 1 p.m. with Space Shuttle Program Launch Integration Manager Mike Moses and STS-127 Launch Director Pete Nickolenko. Watch the remainder of the test, and the news conference to follow, at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv]]> Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:10:44 GMT
The GUCP leaked on two prior launch attempts for the STS-127 mission when the cryogenic propellants were loaded into Endeavour's external tank.

NASA Public Affairs is providing commentary on NASA Television, and will air a news conference at 1 p.m. with Space Shuttle Program Launch Integration Manager Mike Moses and STS-127 Launch Director Pete Nickolenko. Watch it live at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv]]> Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:03:45 GMT
The liquid hydrogen fast-fill process is complete and topping is under way. The GUCP leaked at this point of the tanking process during two prior launch attempts for the STS-127 mission when the cryogenic propellants were loaded into Endeavour's external tank.

NASA Public Affairs is providing commentary on NASA Television, and will air a news conference at 1 p.m. with Space Shuttle Program Launch Integration Manager Mike Moses and STS-127 Launch Director Pete Nickolenko. Watch it live at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv]]> Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:48:52 GMT
The GUCP leaked on two prior launch attempts for the STS-127 mission when the cryogenic propellants were loaded into Endeavour's external tank.

NASA Public Affairs is providing commentary on NASA Television, and will air a news conference at 1 p.m. with Space Shuttle Program Launch Integration Manager Mike Moses and STS-127 Launch Director Pete Nickolenko. Watch it live at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv]]> Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:18:06 GMT
The GUCP leaked on two prior launch attempts for the STS-127 mission when the cryogenic propellants were loaded into Endeavour's external tank.

NASA Public Affairs is providing commentary on NASA Television, and will air a news conference at 1 p.m. with Space Shuttle Program Launch Integration Manager Mike Moses and STS-127 Launch Director Pete Nickolenko. Watch it live at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv]]> Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:11:30 GMT
The Endeavour astronauts are completing administrative work today and will take T-38 training jet flights to El Paso, Texas.

Also, technicians removed a stuck work light knob in space shuttle Atlantis that wedged between a window and dashboard during the STS-125mission. Technicians pressurized Atlantis before pulling the knob out, clearing the way for the window to be inspected.]]> Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:24:11 GMT
The repairs will be verified Wednesday when Endeavour's external tank is filled with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The tanking test will start at 7 a.m. EDT and last about three hours, followed by a news conference to discuss the results. Both events will be shown live on NASA TV.

Endeavour's airlock was closed and checked for leaks Friday. Replacement spacesuit batteries will be stored in the orbiter's middeck for flight. The next launch attempt for Endeavour is targeted for July 11 at 7:39 p.m.

Endeavour's STS-127 astronauts are conducting an integrated entry simulation today in the motion based simulator at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.]]> Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:01:07 GMT On Wednesday, July 1, starting at 7 a.m. EDT, a tanking test will be conducted to ensure repairs were successful. Endeavour's external tank will be filled with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, just as it is before launch. NASA managers will hold a news conference following the test to discuss the results at approximately 1 p.m. The test and news conference will be shown live on NASA television.
Endeavour's next launch attempt is targeted for July 11 at 7:39 p.m.
At NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the STS-127 mission astronauts will resume training Monday, June 29.]]> Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:44:45 GMT
A "tanking test" is planned for Wednesday, July 1, starting at 7 a.m. EDT to ensure repairs were successful. Endeavour's external tank will be filled with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, just as it is before launch. NASA managers will hold a news conference following the test to discuss the results at approximately 1 p.m. The test will be shown live on NASA television.

Endeavour's next launch attempt is targeted for July 11 at 7:39 p.m.

At NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the STS-127 mission astronauts will spend today in the fixed base simulator brushing up on procedures for their first spacewalk. They'll also rehearse the installation of the Japanese Experiment Facility platform that will be attached as the "porch" for the Kibo science laboratory on Flight Day 4 of the mission.]]> Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:34:44 GMT
The repairs will be confirmed by a "tanking test" within the next week, in which Endeavour's external tank will be filled with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, just as it is before launch. If the repairs are successful, Endeavour's next launch attempt will be targeted for July 11 at 7:39 p.m. EDT.

At NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the STS-127 mission astronauts will catch up on administrative work and review spacewalk procedures today.]]> Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:51:01 GMT
The Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate platform was partially extended Monday to allow technicians to continue their ongoing engineering analysis and to verify exact measurements of the position of the plate. The explosive bolts that connect the vent line to the external tank were safely disconnected, and GUCP leak checks were performed at ambient temperatures using helium gas. No leaks were detected. Previously, the only time leaks were seen were during launch attempts when super cold hydrogen gas was being passed through the vent line.

The repairs will be confirmed by a "tanking test" within the next week, in which Endeavour's external tank will be filled with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, just as it is before launch. If the repairs are successful, Endeavour's next launch attempt will be targeted for July 11 at 7:39 p.m. EDT.

Today, Endeavour's astronauts will catch up on administrative work and take T-38 training jet flights from their home base at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston to El Paso and back.]]> Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:14:32 GMT
Teams at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A will begin disconnecting the vent line from the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate. Today, crews re-verified the exact measurements of the plate's attachment to the external fuel tank and performed a leak check at ambient temperatures.

Technicians are preparing to test the repair plan by filling Endeavour's external tank with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen in the next week and a half, just as they would for a launch. This "tanking test" will confirm whether the repairs will work before another launch attempt is made. Hydrogen leaks in the vent line postponed Endeavour's launch attempts June 13 and 17, delaying its 16-day flight to the International Space Station. If the repairs are successful, Endeavour's next launch attempt is targeted for July 11 at 7:39 p.m. EDT.

Tomorrow at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the STS-127 crew will review details about the Japanese lab’s robotic arm and do additional training in the NASA T-38 training aircraft.]]> Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:35:01 GMT
Teams at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A are taking precise measurements of the attaching plate during the weekend before crews disassemble it, realign the plate and install a new set of seals to fix the leak. Shannon also says technicians are preparing to test the repair plan by filling Endeavour's external tank with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen in the next week and a half, just as they would for a launch. This "tanking test" will confirm whether the repairs will work before another launch attempt is made. Hydrogen leaks in the vent line postponed Endeavour's launch attempts June 13 and 17, delaying its 16-day flight to the International Space Station. If the repairs are successful, Endeavour's next launch attempt is targeted for July 11 at 7:39 p.m. EDT.

At NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, STS-127’s seven astronauts are taking the weekend off before resuming their mission training Monday]]> Sun, 21 Jun 2009 14:40:29 GMT
Located in the hydrogen venting system outside Endeavour's external fuel tank, the leak postponed launch attempts June 13 and 17, delaying the 16-day flight to the International Space Station.

Launch teams at Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39A will take the weekend off and resume work Monday.

At NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, STS-127’s seven astronauts also will resume their mission training Monday.

Endeavour's next launch attempt is targeted for July 11 at 7:39 p.m. EDT.]]> Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:44:50 GMT
A leak in the hydrogen venting system outside Endeavour's external fuel tank postponed Endeavour's launches Saturday and Wednesday. The leak occurred in the attaching point to the external tank and the vent line at the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, or GUCP.

Endeavour's seven astronauts are spending the rest of the week with family and friends. They returned to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston yesterday morning and will resume their mission training next week.

At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, technicians moved the rotating service structure back around Endeavour this morning. The structure provides access to the shuttle and protection from the weather.

Endeavour's next launch attempt is targeted for July 11 at 7:39 p.m. EDT.]]> Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:38:25 GMT
"We're going to step back and figure out what the problem is and go fix it," said Deputy Space Shuttle Program Manager LeRoy Cain during a briefing afterward. "Once we get it fixed and we're confident that we have a solution that's going to work and allow us to go fly safely, then we'll proceed forward."

Teams followed the same repair method as they did for the GUCP leak encountered during the STS-119 countdown. The STS-119 and STS-127 leaks will both be evaluated in order to determine the cause. Data collected during fueling is expected to help the troubleshooting effort.

Endeavour's next launch attempt for its STS-127 mission is targeted for July 11 at 7:39 p.m. EDT.]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:03:28 GMT
Endeavour's next launch attempt for its STS-127 mission is targeted for July 11 at 7:39 p.m. EDT.

There will be a briefing on NASA TV no earlier than 3:30 a.m. EDT. Watch it live at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 06:20:57 GMT
There will be a news briefing on NASA TV later this morning.]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 05:59:30 GMT
The three-hour fueling operation began at 11:04 p.m. EDT after a weather delay. The launch countdown resumed at T-3 hours and countding at 1:45 a.m. EDT. Launch still is scheduled for 5:40 a.m. EDT.]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 05:50:03 GMT The three-hour fueling operation began at 11:04 p.m. EDT after a weather delay. The launch countdown currently is holding at T-3 hours, which will last until 1:45 a.m. EDT. Launch still is scheduled for 5:40 a.m. EDT.]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 05:32:23 GMT
The three-hour fueling operation began at 11:04 p.m. EDT after a weather delay. The launch countdown currently is holding at T-3 hours, which will last until 1:45 a.m. EDT. Launch still is scheduled for 5:40 a.m. EDT.]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 05:02:22 GMT
The launch countdown currently is holding at T-3 hours, which will last until 1:45 a.m. EDT.

There still is a 80 percent chance that weather will not affect the 5:40 a.m. launch of STS-127.]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:52:09 GMT
The launch countdown currently is holding at T-3 hours, which will last until 1:45 a.m. EDT.

There still is a 80 percent chance that weather will not affect the 5:40 a.m. launch of STS-127.]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:28:08 GMT
Launch is scheduled for 5:40 a.m.]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:09:16 GMT
The team still is in a posture to make the 5:40 a.m. launch attempt tomorrow morning.]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:42:38 GMT
There still is a 40 percent chance of weather prohibiting tanking as a result of anvil clouds and lightning in the area. For tanking, lightning cannot be within 5 miles of the launch pad.]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:27:19 GMT
The only time a launch was scrubbed before tanking due to weather constraints was STS-71 on June 23, 1995.]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:05:15 GMT space shuttle Endeavour's external fuel tank in preparation for the
STS-127 launch scheduled for 5:40 a.m. tomorrow. Due to current
weather conditions, fueling will not begin as scheduled at 8:15 p.m.
There is currently a 40 percent chance of weather prohibiting tanking as
a result of anvil clouds and lightening in the area. Managers will
continue to monitor weather conditions. Teams can begin tanking as late
as 10 p.m. without impacting tomorrow's launch attempt.]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:20:34 GMT
Endeavour is scheduled to lift off at 5:40 a.m. EDT Wednesday, beginning its STS-127 mission. At 1:15 p.m. today, clocks began counting back from T-11 hours toward launch.

The mission management team is scheduled to meet at 7:30 p.m. to give the "go/no-go" to begin loading Endeavour's external fuel tank with liquid propellants. With managers' approval, fueling will begin at 8:15 p.m.

Launch weather looks good, with an 80 percent chance of favorable conditions forecast for the final hours of the countdown.]]> Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:20:55 GMT
Endeavour is scheduled to lift off at 5:40 a.m. EDT Wednesday, beginning its STS-127 mission. At 1:15 p.m. today, clocks will begin counting back from T-11 hours toward launch.

The mission management team is scheduled to meet at 7:30 p.m. to give the "go/no-go" to begin loading Endeavour's external fuel tank with liquid propellants. With managers' approval, fueling will begin at 8:15 p.m.

Launch weather looks good, with an 80 percent chance of favorable conditions forecast for the final hours of the countdown.]]> Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:53:00 GMT
The mission management team is scheduled to meet at 7:30 p.m. to give the "go/no-go" to begin loading Endeavour's external fuel tank with liquid propellants. With managers' approval, fueling will begin at 8:15 p.m.

Launch weather looks good, with an 80 percent chance of favorable conditions forecast for the final hours of the countdown.]]> Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:17:52 GMT
Endeavour's planned June 13 liftoff was postponed because of a leak associated with the gaseous hydrogen venting system outside the shuttle's external fuel tank. The system is used to carry excess hydrogen safely away from the launch pad. Technicians have removed and replaced the ground umbilical carrier panel and seal, and repair work should be complete by 3 p.m. Tuesday.

"Our teams have been working very hard over the last couple of days to get this piece of equipment fixed," said NASA Test Director Steve Payne during a briefing Monday afternoon. "Endeavour is in good shape and the teams are excited to be back to working toward a launch on Wednesday morning."

According to Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters, the weather is expected to cooperate with NASA's launch plans, with an 80 percent chance of favorable weather expected.]]> Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:38:43 GMT
Endeavour's planned June 13 liftoff was postponed because of a leak associated with the gaseous hydrogen venting system outside the shuttle's external fuel tank. The system is used to carry excess hydrogen safely away from the launch pad.

As a result, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, are set to lift off together aboard an Atlas V rocket on Thursday, June 18. That launch was moved to June 18 to accommodate Endeavour's June 17 liftoff.]]> Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:27:47 GMT
Technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center continue to make progress as they work to fix a leak associated with the gaseous hydrogen venting system outside Endeavour's external fuel tank. The leak postponed Endeavour's Saturday morning scheduled launch to the International Space Station. Overnight, teams on Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39A completed changing out internal seals in the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, or GUCP, which is attached to the external tank. They’re now in the process of reattaching the vent line. The vent line runs from the GUCP, away from the launch pad to a "flare stack" where excess hydrogen is safely burned off. The reattachment is expected to be completed late tonight.

The earliest the shuttle could be ready for liftoff is June 17, however there is a conflict on that date with the scheduled launch of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter/Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

NASA managers are looking to maximize launch opportunities this week for both the shuttle and the LRO/LCROSS missions. If there are no issues with Endeavour’s repair work, the shuttle would attempt to launch on June 17 and LRO/LCROSS would have launch opportunities on June 19 and 20. If Endeavour doesn’t launch on June 17 and LRO/LCROSS launches on that day, the shuttle could make a launch attempt on June 20.

Endeavour's leak is similar to what happened during the first launch attempt of space shuttle Discovery's STS-119 mission in March. Technicians are using the same repair method, which led to Discovery's successful launch on its next attempt.]]> Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:31:34 GMT
Technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center are working to fix a leak associated with the gaseous hydrogen venting system outside Endeavour's external fuel tank. The leak postponed Endeavour's Saturday morning scheduled launch to the International Space Station. Teams on Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39A are in the process of changing out internal seals in the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, or GUCP, which is attached to the external tank. The vent line runs from the GUCP, away from the launch pad to a "flare stack" where excess hydrogen is safely burned off.

Managers met Sunday afternoon to evaluate how repairs are going and assess when Endeavour's next launch attempt will be. The earliest the shuttle could be ready for liftoff is June 17, however there is a conflict on that date with the scheduled launch of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter/Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

NASA managers are looking to maximize launch opportunities this week for both the shuttle and the LRO/LCROSS missions. If there are no issues with Endeavour’s repair work, the shuttle would attempt to launch on June 17 and LRO/LCROSS would have launch opportunities on June 19 and 20. If Endeavour doesn’t launch on June 17 and LRO/LCROSS launches on that day, the shuttle could make a launch attempt on June 20.

Endeavour's leak is similar to what happened during the first launch attempt of space shuttle Discovery's STS-119 mission in March. Technicians are using the same repair method, which led to Discovery's successful launch on its next attempt.]]> Sun, 14 Jun 2009 22:23:49 GMT
Teams on Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39A are beginning the process to change out internal seals in the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, or GUCP, which is attached to the external tank. The vent line runs from the GUCP, away from the launch pad to a "flare stack" where excess hydrogen is safely burned off.

Endeavour's leak is similar to what happened during the first launch attempt of space shuttle Discovery's STS-119 mission in March. Technicians plan to use the same repair method, which led to Discovery's successful launch on its next attempt.

Shuttle managers met for two hours this afternoon to evaluate how repairs are going and assess when Endeavour's next launch attempt will be. The earliest the shuttle could be ready for liftoff is June 17, however there is a conflict on that date with the scheduled launch of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter/Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

NASA Television will air a news conference no earlier than 5:30 p.m. EDT to discuss the status of launch preparations. The participants will be Space Shuttle Deputy Program Manager LeRoy Cain, STS-127 Shuttle Launch Director Pete Nickolenko and Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters.]]> Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:37:11 GMT


Early this morning, teams gained access to the area where the leak occurred on Kennedy's Launch Pad 39A near the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, or GUCP, which is attached to the external tank. The vent line leads from the GUCP and away from the launch pad to the "flare stack" where excess hydrogen is safely burned off.



Endeavour's leak is similar to what happened during the first launch attempt of space shuttle Discovery's STS-119 mission in March. Technicians plan to use the same repair method, which led to Discovery's successful launch on its next attempt. Teams are expected to begin changing out seals in the GUCP's internal connection points late this afternoon.



Shuttle managers began meeting at 2 p.m. EDT today to evaluate how repairs are going and assess when Endeavour's next launch attempt will be. The earliest the shuttle could be ready for liftoff is June 17, however there is a conflict on that date with the scheduled launch of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter/Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.



A news conference will follow this afternoon's Mission Management Team meeting and will air live on NASA Television and the agency Web site.]]> Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:18:22 GMT
Early this morning, teams gained access to the area where the leak occurred on Kennedy's Launch Pad 39A near the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, or GUCP, which is attached to the external tank. The vent line leads from the GUCP and away from the launch pad to the "flare stack" where excess hydrogen is safely burned off.

Endeavour's leak is similar to what happened during the first launch attempt of space shuttle Discovery's STS-119 mission in March. Technicians plan to use the same repair method, which led to Discovery's successful launch on its next attempt. Teams are expected to begin changing out seals in the GUCP's internal connection points late this afternoon.

Shuttle managers will meet at 2 p.m. EDT today to evaluate how repairs are going and assess when Endeavour's next launch attempt will be. The earliest the shuttle could be ready for liftoff is June 17, however there is a conflict on that date with the scheduled launch of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter/Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

A news conference will follow this afternoon's Mission Management Team meeting and will air live on NASA Television and the agency Web site.]]> Sun, 14 Jun 2009 13:41:27 GMT
Early this morning, teams gained access to the area where the leak occurred on Kennedy's Launch Pad 39A near the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, or GUCP, which is attached to the external tank. The vent line leads from the GUCP and away from the launch pad to the "flare stack" where excess hydrogen is safely burned off.

Endeavour's leak is similar to what happened during the first launch attempt of space shuttle Discovery's STS-119 mission in March. Technicians plan to use the same repair method, which led to Discovery's successful launch on its next attempt. Teams are expected to begin changing out seals in the GUCP's internal connection points late this afternoon.

Shuttle managers will meet at 2 p.m. EDT today to evaluate how repairs are going and assess when Endeavour's next launch attempt will be. The earliest the shuttle could be ready for liftoff is June 17, however there is a conflict on that date with the scheduled launch of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter/Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

A news conference will follow this afternoon's Mission Management Team meeting and will air live on NASA Television and the agency Web site.]]> Sun, 14 Jun 2009 13:33:17 GMT
The earliest the shuttle could be ready for liftoff is June 17, however there is a range conflict on that date with the scheduled launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter/Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

Mission managers will hold a meeting at 2 p.m. Sunday to discuss the repair options and Endeavour's launch attempt opportunities. A news conference will follow the meeting's conclusion and will air live on NASA Television and the agency Web site.]]> Sat, 13 Jun 2009 06:55:12 GMT
Fueling was halted after the leak was detected near the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, or GUCP, which attached to the external tank at its intertank area. The line leads from the GUCP back to the launch pad and to the "flare stack" where vented gaseous hydrogen is burned off.

The leak is similar to what happened during the first launch attempt of space shuttle Discovery's STS-119 mission in March.

After the leak is assessed, shuttle managers plan to meet Saturday morning to discuss what steps to take next, including targeting a new launch date for Endeavour's STS-127 mission to the International Space Station.]]> Sat, 13 Jun 2009 04:46:02 GMT Filling the 15-story tall external tank with 500,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen takes about three hours.]]> Sat, 13 Jun 2009 02:08:04 GMT
The countdown for Saturday's launch at 7:17 a.m. EDT remains on schedule. The launch pad's rotating service structure was rolled away at 11 a.m. today, revealing Endeavour poised for liftoff. The mission management team will meet at 9:15 p.m. to give the "go/no-go" to begin loading the shuttle's external tank with propellants. If the go-ahead is given, the loading process, called "tanking," is scheduled to start at 9:52 p.m.]]> Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:07:46 GMT
"We're in really good shape to fly," Moses said. The team carefully reviewed the spacecraft to make sure nothing was overlooked since the launch comes only a few weeks after the end of the STS-125 mission.

The countdown for Saturday morning's launch at 7:17 continues on pace, said Launch Director Pete Nickolenko.

"We're not tracking any issues," Nickolenko said.

Endeavour's crew is to install a platform to one end of the Japanese Kibo laboratory on the station. The platform will hold experiments designed to work outside the protective confines of the station.]]> Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:38:08 GMT
As Endeavour's three fuel cells are loaded with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, the mission management team will meet for a final review of the shuttle's preparedness for launch. The crew, meanwhile, will conduct flight plan reviews, and Mission Specialists Christopher Cassidy and Julie Payette will conduct flights in T-38 training jets.

The STS-127 launch countdown officially began at 9 a.m. EDT Wednesday. Liftoff remains scheduled for Saturday, June 13, at 7:17 a.m.

Today's televised events include a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency briefing at 11 a.m., followed by an STS-127 prelaunch news conference at noon. Watch these events live on NASA TV at www.nasa.gov/ntv]]> Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:18:39 GMT
Prelaunch activities remain on schedule as NASA prepares for liftoff of Endeavour on Saturday, June 13, at 7:17 a.m. EDT. The seven STS-127 crew members arrived at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility late Monday night.

"The teams here at Kennedy Space Center have been working extremely hard to try to get to this point," said NASA Test Director Steve Payne during a countdown status briefing Wednesday. "But it's paid off, and we have a vehicle poised at the pad that's ready to go."

The weather forecast at the Florida launch site is expected to cooperate with final launch preparations and should also be favorable at launch time.]]> Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:18:22 GMT
Final prelaunch activities remain on schedule as NASA prepares for liftoff of Endeavour on Saturday, June 13, at 7:17 a.m. EDT. The seven STS-127 crew members arrived at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility late Monday night.

"I have no issues to report," said NASA Test Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson during a prelaunch status briefing from Kennedy on Tuesday. "The STS-127 flight crew, Endeavour and the launch team are all ready to proceed with their launch countdown call-to-stations tomorrow."]]> Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:07:43 GMT
Preparations to begin the countdown have stayed on schedule as NASA prepares for liftoff of Endeavour on Saturday, June 13, at 7:17 a.m. EDT. The seven STS-127 crew members arrived at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility late Monday night.

"I have no issues to report," said NASA Test Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson during a prelaunch status briefing from Kennedy on Tuesday. "The STS-127 flight crew, Endeavour and the launch team are all ready to proceed with their launch countdown call-to-stations tomorrow."]]> Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:33:20 GMT
"I have no issues to report," said NASA Test Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson during a prelaunch status briefing from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday. "The STS-127 flight crew, Endeavour and the launch team are all ready to proceed with their launch countdown call-to-stations tomorrow."

The seven STS-127 crew members arrived at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility at 11:53 p.m. Monday. The countdown will begin Wednesday at 9 a.m. as clocks begin counting down from T-43 hours.]]> Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:40:18 GMT
After arriving STS-127 Commander Mark Polansky and his crew made brief statements to media who were gathered at the shuttle runway. The astronauts now are beginning their final preparations ahead of Endeavour's launch on Saturday, June 13 at 7:17 a.m.]]> Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:37:31 GMT After arriving STS-127 Commander Mark Polansky and his crew made brief statements to media who were gathered at the shuttle runway. The astronauts now are beginning their final preparations ahead of Endeavour’s launch on Saturday, June 13 at 7:17 a.m.]]> Tue, 09 Jun 2009 04:05:03 GMT


After arriving at Kennedy’s Shuttle Landing Facility, STS-127 Commander Mark Polansky is expected to make a brief statement to media who will be gathered at the shuttle runway. The astronauts will then begin their final preparations ahead of Endeavour’s launch on Saturday, June 13 at 7:17 a.m.]]> Tue, 09 Jun 2009 02:51:15 GMT
The seven STS-127 astronauts went into quarantine Saturday and will return to Kennedy at 12:15 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, June 9 for their final preps before Endeavour’s 7:17 a.m. launch time Saturday, June 13.

The crew’s arrival at Kennedy on Tuesday will be aired live on NASA TV.]]> Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:19:08 GMT
The seven STS-127 astronauts wrapped up their terminal countdown demonstration test training at Kennedy on Thursday and returned to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The astronauts will go into quarantine Saturday and then return to Kennedy at 12:15 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, June 9 for their final preps before Endeavour’s 7:17 a.m. launch time Saturday, June 13.

The crew’s arrival at Kennedy on Tuesday will be aired live on NASA TV.]]> Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:16:12 GMT
The seven STS-127 astronauts wrapped up their terminal countdown demonstration test training at Kennedy on Thursday and returned to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The astronauts will go into quarantine on Saturday and then return to Kennedy at 12:15 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, June 9 for their final preps before Endeavour’s 7:17 a.m. launch time on Saturday, June 13.

The crew’s arrival at Kennedy on Tuesday will be aired live on NASA TV.]]> Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:19:38 GMT
On Wednesday, NASA managers completed a review of space shuttle Endeavour's readiness for flight and selected June 13 as the official launch date for the STS-127 mission to the International Space Station. Commander Mark Polansky and his six crewmates are scheduled to lift off at 7:17 a.m. EDT.]]> Thu, 04 Jun 2009 20:13:40 GMT
On Wednesday, NASA managers completed a review of space shuttle Endeavour's readiness for flight and selected June 13 as the official launch date for the STS-127 mission to the International Space Station. Commander Mark Polansky and his six crewmates are scheduled to lift off at 7:17 a.m. EDT.]]> Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:39:59 GMT
"Folks have done a tremendous job getting ready to go fly again," said Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for Space Operations. Gerstenmaier cited the recent STS-125 mission flown by space shuttle Atlantis as a factor in today's flight readiness review, and commented on the complexity of the STS-127 mission timeline, which includes five spacewalks and intricate robotics work. "It will be a very challenging mission."]]> Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:50:47 GMT