[sarex] NASA's Shuttle Endeavour Begins Mission to the Space Station

[Arthur Rowe]

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT AC #31468:
> Aug. 8, 2007
>
> John Yembrick
> Headquarters, Washington 
> 202-358-0602
> john.yembrick-1 at nasa.gov
>
> George Diller
> Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
> 321-867-2468
> george.h.diller at nasa.gov
>
>
> NASA'S SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR BEGINS MISSION TO THE SPACE STATION
>
> CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The space shuttle Endeavour and its 
> seven-member crew lifted off at 6:36 p.m. EDT Wednesday from NASA's 
> Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The astronauts are on their way to 
> the International Space Station for an assembly mission, designated 
> STS-118. 
>
> "This is serious business we're in here," said Endeavour's Commander 
> Scott Kelly to the shuttle launch director shortly before lift off. 
> "I'm proud of your team for getting Endeavour ready to go fly. I'm 
> also proud of my crew and the rest of the astronaut office for the 
> competence and professionalism and consistently making something that 
> is incredibly difficult look easy."
>
> Kelly then added, "We'll see you in a couple of weeks, and thanks for 
> loaning us your space shuttle."
>
> Endeavour is scheduled to dock to the station on Friday. During the 
> 11-day mission, the crew will add the Starboard 5 (S5) truss segment 
> to the right side of the station's backbone. The segment will provide 
> clearance between sets of solar arrays. The flight will include at 
> least three spacewalks during which the astronauts will install a new 
> gyroscope and external spare parts platform to the station. 
>
> Endeavour's mission will debut a new system that enables docked space 
> shuttles to draw electrical power from the station to extend visits 
> to the outpost. If this system functions as expected, three 
> additional days and a spacewalk will be added to the flight.
>
> Joining Kelly on the crew are Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and mission 
> specialists Tracy Caldwell, Rick Mastracchio, Barbara R. Morgan, 
> Alvin Drew and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Dave Williams. This is 
> the first flight for Morgan, the teacher-turned-astronaut whose 
> association with NASA began 22 years ago when she was selected as the 
> backup in the Teacher in Space Project.
>
> This mission is the 119th space shuttle flight, the 20th flight for 
> Endeavour and the 22nd U.S. flight to the International Space 
> Station. The mission is Endeavour's first flight in more than four 
> years. The shuttle underwent extensive modifications, including the 
> addition of safety upgrades already added to shuttles Discovery and 
> Atlantis.
>
> For the latest information about the STS-118 mission and its crew, 
> visit: 
>
> http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle 
>
> 	
> -end-
>
>
>
>
>
>