There are 2 messages totalling 66 lines in this issue

Topics of the day:

1. STS-128 MCC Status Report #04
2. STS-128 MCC Status Report #05

Date: Sun, 30 Aug 2009 12:34:27 -0500 From: info@JSC NASA GOV Subject: STS-128 MCC Status Report #04

STS-128 Report #04 Sunday, August 30 - 1 p m CDT Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

HOUSTON – For the second time in history, thirteen people will be assembled on one spacecraft today to kick-off eight days of joint space operations Space shuttle Discovery is on track for a docking with the International Space Station just after 8 p m CT

Discovery’s crew awoke at 12:30 p m CDT with “Made To Love” performed by Toby Mac and played for mission specialist Nicole Stott

The morning will focus on preparations for the rendezvous and docking to the station Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Kevin Ford will perform a few final corrective jet firings to refine the orbiter’s path to the station and poise them for a rendezvous pitch maneuver (RPM) under the station at 7 p m While Sturckow performs the “backflip” Expedition 20 Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Mike Barratt will take photos from the station Their photos will be reviewed by experts on the ground for evidence of damage to the shuttle tiles

Once the RPM is complete, Sturckow will fly Discovery ahead of the space station and slowly back it in to dock to the station Mating is expected to occur at 8:04 p m After hatch opening and a routine safety briefing, the two crews will start their joint operations

Sturckow, Christer Fuglesang and Stott will begin transfer work, including the relocation of the space suits and tools that will be used for the three planned spacewalks They also will swap Soyuz seatliners for Stott and flight engineer Tim Kopra The two are rotating positions on their respective crews, and the installation of Stott’s seatliner in the Russian spacecraft will mark the start of Stott’s position on the station crew, and likewise, Kopra’s transition to the shuttle crew

Meanwhile Ford, Kopra and Mission Specialists Pat Forrester and Jose Hernandez will start robotic activities They’ll use the station robotic arm to remove the orbiter boom from its position on the payload bay sill and hand it off to the shuttle arm to provide additional clearance for the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module removal Monday

Mission specialist Danny Olivas will install TV and photo equipment, while station crewmembers Roman Romanenko, Robert Thirsk and Frank De Winne exercise and continue other work on station

The station crew will go to bed at 4 a m, and Discovery’s crew 30 minutes later

The next shuttle status report will be issued at the end of the crew’s workday, or earlier if events warrant

#

NASA Johnson Space Center Mission Status Reports and other information are available automatically by sending an Internet electronic mail message to listserv@listserver jsc nasa gov In the body of the message (not the subject line) users should type "subscribe hsfnews" (no quotes) This will add the e-mail address that sent the subscribe message to the news release distribution list The system will reply with a confirmation via e-mail of each subscription Once you have subscribed you will receive future news releases via e-mail

Date: Sun, 30 Aug 2009 21:59:05 -0500 From: info@JSC NASA GOV Subject: STS-128 MCC Status Report #05

STS-128 Report #05 11 p m CDT Sunday, Aug 30, 2009 Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

HOUSTON – The Space Shuttle Discovery docked with the International Space Station at 7:54 p m delivering more than seven tons of cargo and a new crew member to the International Space Station and its Expedition 20 crew

Discovery Commander Rick Sturckow carefully guided the 100-ton orbiter to a docking with the 350-ton station as the two spacecraft flew 220 miles above the northeast Atlantic Ocean approaching southern England

Prior to docking at a distance of 600 feet, Sturckow – with rendezvous help from his fellow crewmates Pilot Kevin Ford and Flight Engineer Jose Hernandez – deftly flew Discovery through a “backflip” allowing station Expedition 20 Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Michael Barratt to take photos that imagery experts will review to assess the health of Discovery’s thermal protection system tiles

The shuttle and station crews opened hatches at 9:33 p m and greeted one another beginning a week’s worth of joint operations that includes three spacewalks and transfer of 15,000 pounds of supplies and logistics to sustain the six-person crew on the station

After the ceremonial welcoming of Discovery’s crew by Padalka and Flight Engineers Barratt, Tim Kopra, Roman Romanenko, Bob Thirsk and Frank De Winne, the joint crews completed one of the first major tasks: the swap of Nicole Stott for Kopra as a station crew member Kopra is scheduled to return aboard Discovery Sept 10 after 57 days in space Stott will handle flight engineer duties aboard the station until her return home aboard Atlantis following the STS-129 mission in November

Ford, Kopra, Hernandez and Pat Forrester will begin robotic activities that include using the station robot arm to remove the orbiter extension boom from its position on the payload bay sill and hand it off to the shuttle arm to provide additional clearance for the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module removal Monday

Before the crews head to bed about 4:30 Monday morning, transfer of shuttle middeck supplies to the station will begin along with relocation of spacesuits that will be used for the three planned spacewalks

The next shuttle status report will be issued after crew wake – earlier if events warrant The crew is due to wake up at 12:29 p m Monday

#

NASA Johnson Space Center Mission Status Reports and other information are available automatically by sending an Internet electronic mail message to listserv@listserver jsc nasa gov In the body of the message (not the subject line) users should type "subscribe hsfnews" (no quotes) This will add the e-mail address that sent the subscribe message to the news release distribution list The system will reply with a confirmation via e-mail of each subscription Once you have subscribed you will receive future news releases via e-mail

End of HSFNEWS Digest - 30 Aug 2009 to 31 Aug 2009 (#2009-93)

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