STS-114 MCC Status Report #03

Wednesday, July 27, 2005 - 4 p.m. CDT
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STS-114 MCC Status Report #03

Discovery crewmembers completed a camera survey of the heat shields of the
leading edges of the orbiter's wings and its nose cone Wednesday. They also
began preparations for Thursday's docking with the International Space
Station and the mission's spacewalks.

Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jim Kelly and Mission Specialists Soichi
Noguchi, Steve Robinson, Andy Thomas, Wendy Lawrence and Charlie Camarda
downlinked imagery taken of the External Tank after launch. The crew also
photographed the Orbital Maneuvering System pod tile areas and sent down
those files. Most of the heat shield survey, taking a close look at the
reinforced carbon-carbon of Discovery's wings and nose was sent down live.
The rest was sent down before the crew went to bed about 2:40 p.m. CDT.

The data was gathered by the new Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS)
laser-scanner. Kelly, Thomas and Camarda, with some help from other
crewmembers, operated the Discovery's Canadarm and the 50-foot boom
extension at its end for the survey. The OBSS was reberthed and Canadarm and
its cameras were used to survey the tile area around the crew cabin.

Preparations for docking included a checkout of rendezvous tools, and the
extension of the Orbiter Docking System ring that will make first contact
with the Station. The approach will include the first Rendezvous Pitch
Maneuver, a slow back flip by Discovery about 600 feet below the Station
immediately before the 6:18 a.m. CDT docking.

The maneuver will allow Station Commander Sergei Krikalev and NASA Science
Officer John Phillips to photograph Discovery's thermal protection system
with 400mm and 800mm lenses. The images, taken through windows in the
Station's Zvezda Service Module, are expected to be downlinked before
hatches between Discovery and the Station are opened.

Today's imagery and laser scans will be compiled with other imagery taken
during launch, and with data collected by wireless impact sensors in each
panel of the wings' leading edges. Downlink of both preliminary and raw data
from the sensors also was completed today. A team of about 200 people across
the country are working to analyze imagery from the early part of
Discovery's mission, the most photographed Shuttle flight in history.

The crew also completed the checkout of tools and two spacesuits to be used
during the mission's three spacewalks. Two suits were also prepared for
delivery to the Station for future Quest airlock spacewalks.

The next STS-114 mission status report will be issued after crew wakeup, or
earlier if events warrant.


- end -


--
--------------

Jacques :-)

www.spacepatches.info