STS-114 Report #15 Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2005 - 6 p.m. CDT Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas Space Shuttle mission managers Tuesday cleared Discovery’s wing leading edge heat shield for re-entry as they methodically deal with concerns over the protruding tile gap fillers. The mission management team also discussed a “puffed out” insulating blanket outside the commander’s cockpit window and has decided it poses no risk of overheating during entry. Engineers will continue to analyze whether it c ...Continue Reading

STS-114 Report #14 Monday, Aug. 1, 2005 – 11 p.m. CDT Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas The Space Shuttle Discovery and International Space Station crews will continue transferring equipment and supplies between the two vehicles today. They will also review updated tasks for the third planned spacewalk of the mission. Discovery’s crew was awakened at 10:09 p.m. CDT by the song "Big Rock Candy Mountain," by Harry McClintock for Mission Specialist Andy Thomas. The Space Station crew was awa ...Continue Reading

STS-114 Report #13 Monday, August 1, 2005 - 7:00 p.m. CDT Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas STS-114 mission managers Monday gave the go-ahead for astronauts to remove two protruding gap fillers in Discovery’s heat shield during a Wednesday space walk. Soichi Noguchi and Steve Robinson will attempt to simply pull the thin fabric fillers from between tiles in the forward area of the orbiter’s underside. If the pull method is unsuccessful, the two will have tools to cut the material flush with the sur ...Continue Reading

STS-114 Report #12 Sunday, July 31, 2005 – 11:15 p.m. CDT Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas Now spacewalk veterans, Astronauts Soichi Noguchi and Steve Robinson will step outside for the second of three planned spacewalks today at 3:14 a.m. CDT. The sole objective of the 6 ½-hour excursion is to replace a failed International Space Station attitude control gyroscope. The pair will have about an hour of setup time after exiting Space Shuttle Discovery’s airlock and positioning themselves at t ...Continue Reading

STS-114 Report #11 Sunday, July 31, 2005 – 3 p.m. CDT Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas The transfer of equipment and supplies from Discovery to the International Space Station and preparations for Monday’s planned spacewalk by Mission Specialists Soichi Noguchi and Steve Robinson were the focus of today's activities in space. Noguchi, of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Robinson, along with remaining Discovery crewmembers, Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jim Kelly and Mission Specialist ...Continue Reading

STS-114 Report #10 Saturday, July 30, 2005 – 11:45 p.m. CDT Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas Transfers of additional water and supplies to the International Space Station will continue Sunday as the crew aboard Discovery begins Flight Day 6. The STS-114 mission was formally extended by one day as mission managers Saturday decided to spend one more day docked to the ISS. Two additional collapsible water containers holding more than 10 gallons each are expected to be added to the cargo transfer list befo ...Continue Reading

STS-114 Report #09 Saturday, July 30, 2005 – 4 p.m. CDT Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas Space Shuttle Discovery’s heat protective tiles and thermal blankets have been pronounced fit for entry after engineers reviewed the imagery and other data to judge their health. Analysis remains on the reinforced carbon-carbon wing leading edges and the protruding gap fillers identified earlier. Aerodynamics experts are evaluating the effect on surface heating that the gap fillers may cause to decide whether ...Continue Reading

STS-114 Report #08 Friday, July 29, 2005 – 11:45 p.m. CDT Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas Astronauts Soichi Noguchi and Steve Robinson will step outside for their first spacewalk, and the first of this mission, early Saturday. The six and a half hour spacewalk is scheduled to begin from Discovery’s airlock at 3:44 a.m. CDT. Discovery’s crew was awakened at 10:43 p.m. CDT by the Japanese song “Sanpo,“ sung by a group of children, including Noguchi’s. The Station crew was awa ...Continue Reading

STS-114 Report #07 Friday, July 29, 2005 – 6 p.m. CDT Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas Space Shuttle and International Space Station crewmembers installed the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and began unloading the pressurized cargo carrier Friday. They also carried out a survey of selected areas of Discovery's thermal protection system and continued preparations for Saturday's spacewalk. Engineering analysis continues on the imagery collected so far, but no apparently serious problems with Di ...Continue Reading

STS-114 Report #06 Thursday, July 28, 2005 – 11 p.m. CDT Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas The first full day of joint Space Shuttle and International Space Station operations will be highlighted by installation of a cargo transportation module, additional orbiter heat shield inspections and spacewalk preparations. Discovery’s crew was awakened at 10:39 p.m. CDT by the song “Vertigo“ by U2 played for Pilot Jim Kelly. Capcom Shannon Lucid noted during the wakeup call that Kelly, whose nick ...Continue Reading