[sarex] STS-120 Crew Preparing for Docking

[Arthur Rowe]

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C#31468

*STS-120 Crew Preparing for Docking*
15 October 2007


The STS-120 crew has begun rendezvous operations in preparation for a 
docking with the International Space Station at 8:33 a.m. EDT.

About an hour before docking, Commander Pam Melroy and Pilot George 
Zamka will guide the shuttle through a back-flip maneuver that will 
allow the Expedition 16 crew to photograph the shuttle’s protective 
heat-resistant tiles. The imagery will be sent to engineers on Earth for 
analysis.

+ View docking animation 
<javascript:watchNASAOnDemandTV('http://mfile.akamai.com/18566/wmv/etouchsyst2.download.akamai.com/18355/wm.nasa-global/sts-120/S07_Rendezvous.asx')>
+ View rendezvous animation 
<javascript:watchNASAOnDemandTV('http://mfile.akamai.com/18566/wmv/etouchsyst2.download.akamai.com/18355/wm.nasa-global/sts-120/S07_Rendezvous.asx')>
+ View rendezvous pitch maneuver animation 
<javascript:watchNASAOnDemandTV('http://mfile.akamai.com/18566/wmv/etouchsyst2.download.akamai.com/18355/wm.nasa-global/sts-120/S06_RPM.asx')>
+ View shuttle approaching the space station animation 
<javascript:watchNASAOnDemandTV('http://mfile.akamai.com/18566/wmv/etouchsyst2.download.akamai.com/18355/wm.nasa-global/sts-120/S05_Approach.asx')> 


After Discovery docks, the shuttle and station crews will conduct 
pressure and leak checks before the hatches between the two spacecraft 
open at 10:33 a.m. The crews will greet each other and quickly begin 
joint operations.

One of the first major tasks is the station crew rotation. STS-120 
Mission Specialist Daniel Tani will switch places with Expedition 16 
Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson, who will return to Earth on Discovery 
wrapping up a four-month tour of duty as an Expedition crew member. Tani 
is scheduled to stay on the station until he returns to Earth with 
STS-122 later this year.

Also, preparations will begin today for the first of five scheduled 
STS-120 spacewalks. The first spacewalk is set to kick off at 6:28 a.m. 
Friday.

*Mission Information*
+ STS-120 Mission Overview 
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts120/index.html>
+ Harmony Node 2 
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/behindscenes/harmony_payload.html> 

+ Space Shuttle Discovery 
<http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/shuttleoperations/orbiters/discovery-info.html>