STS-114 Report #03 Wednesday, July 27, 2005 – 4 p m CDT Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

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 missionÂ’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

TodayÂ’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 wingsÂ’ 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 missionÂ’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