The shuttle Endeavour after undocking, directly behind and below the International Space Station on July 28th. (Credit: NASA TV)

The space shuttle Endeavour undocked from the International Space Station yesterday.  Today, the astronauts are inspecting Endeavour to ensure that there was no damage to the heat shield from micrometeorites or space junk while the shuttle was in orbit.  Currently, the shuttle is scheduled to land Friday at the Kennedy Space Center at 10:48 a.m.

Also today, the ISS welcomed the unmanned Russian Progress supply ship.  It carries thousands of pounds of supplies for the ISS crew.

Astronaut Tim Kopra works on the Kibo laboratory during the first spacewalk on July 18. Image Credit: NASA

Yesterday, astronauts successfully spacewalked for almost seven hours moving spare parts off of the Endeavour to the International Space Station.  Performing this delicate operation (astronauts had to be careful not to hit the ISS or shuttle with any of the parts) took longer than expected.  This meant that a camera scheduled to be installed on the new Kibo porch was postponed to one of the upcoming spacewalks.

Additionally, astronauts were able to repair the problem toilet on the ISS.  Contaminated components had to be replaced, but after tests the repairs were deemed successful.

Endeavour as it performs a backflip, officially known as the Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver, shortly before docking with the ISS on Friday, July 17, 2009. Photo credit: NASA

The space shuttle Endeavour arrived at the International Space Station on Friday.  Once docked, the combined crew made the largest number of astronauts ever on the ISS.

On Saturday during a 5.5 hour spacewalk, astronauts Dave Wolf and Tim Kopra successfully attached an experiment platform to the Japanese Kibo laboratory module.  The platform or porch is called the Japanese Exposed Facility, or JEF, and will allow for experiments to be performed in space.

Also on Friday and Saturday, NASA’s Debris Analysis Team reviewed photography of the shuttle Endeavour’s heat shield taken during the launch & as the shuttle docked with the ISS.  While the shuttle is not yet cleared to land, the Debris Analysis Team did not need more data from Endeavour, which is a good sign.

On Sunday, Mark Polansky and Doug Hurley worked with the shuttle’s robotic arm to maneuver a spare parts container for unloading from Endeavour.  Also, Tim Kopra and Koichi Wakata calibrated the robotic arm on the Kibo laboratory.

Unfortunately on Sunday the main toilet on the ISS broke, leaving only two others available.  Two of the astronauts worked to fix it on Sunday, but will have to return to working on it today.

Today, to mark the 40th Anniversary of the moon landing, the second spacewalk is scheduled. Astronauts Dave Wolf and Tom Marshburn, in a spacewalk scheduled to last 6.5 hours, will unpack the spare parts container that was moved for unloading yesterday & install a camera on the Kibo porch.

The space shuttle Endeavour blasting off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the STS-127 mission to the ISS. Image Credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

The space shuttle Endeavour launched yesterday, the sixth attempt for this mission to the International Space Station.  Unfortunately during liftoff, foam insulation from the external fuel tank broke away and struck the shuttle.  Later yesterday, Mission Control informed the crew that the damage appeared to less extensive than initially thought, but the extent of the damage will not be clear until Friday.  On Friday, when the shuttle arrives at the ISS, the crew there will photograph the entire shuttle as it performs a backflip before docking.  The shuttle does have a repair kit & repairs could be made during a spacewalk.  If the damage is too extensive, the shuttle crew could move into the ISS for 2-3 months to await rescue by another shuttle.  For more on the shuttle’s mission, check out this prior post.

The shuttle Endeavour moments after approaching storms forced NASA to order a fifth launch delay. Image Credit: NASA TV

The shuttle was delayed again by weather yesterday.  NASA has decided to hold-off on another launch attempt until tomorrow.  Originally, a delay past today would have pushed the launch back until July 26th.  But, NASA has decided to re-arrange the mission time-line, deferring some the shuttle crew’s off-duty time and other duties until after Endeavour undocks from the International Space Station.  By re-arranging the time-line, NASA ensures that Endeavour is out of the way before the  Russian Progress arrives at the ISS.

The space shuttle Endeavour. Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The scheduled launch of the space shuttle Endeavour was delayed by weather on Saturday and again on Sunday.  NASA has scheduled another attempt today at 6:51 EDT.  Endeavour must launch by Tuesday or the flight will be delayed to July 27th.

The space shuttle Endeavour. Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The space shuttle Endeavour is ready to launch on Saturday on its mission to the International Space Station.  This will be the third attempted launch to deliver the Japanese Kibo laboratory to the ISS.  While the shuttle may be ready, the weather may not be as cooperative.  The Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, where the launch will take place on Saturday, currently has a forecasted 60% chance of thunderstorms for launch time.

NASA photo of International Space Station

For the next several days throughout the United States, you will be able to see the International Space Station from Earth.  The ISS will be visible as many as three times a day in many parts of the US.  The series of flyby will not end until mid to late July, depending on your location.  This means that with the space shuttle Endeavour scheduled to launch July 11th, many observers will be able to witness a double flyby.  You can find out when the ISS will be visible from your location via NASA’s Skywatch 2.0.

Workers replace seals on Endeavour on June 14, 2009. Image credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs

Tests today indicate that repairs to the space shuttle Endeavour’s external fuel tanks were successful.  Endeavour’s external fuel tank was loaded with a half-million gallons of liquid hydrogen and oxygen and no leaks were detected by the launch team.  On July 11th, Endeavour’s mission to deliver a new section to the International Space Station is scheduled to begin.