SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468
*Astronauts End Final STS-118 Spacewalk; Hatches to Close Later Today*
Hurricane DeanImage above: Hurricane Dean swirls in the Caribbean Sea as Space Shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station pass overhead during STS-118's fourth spacewalk. Image: NASA TV TO VIEW IMAGE GO TO:http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html
Spacewalkers successfully completed STS-118’s final spacewalk at 2:19 p.m. EDT(1819 UTC). The STS-118 and Expedition 15 crews have turned their full attention to preparing for today's hatch closure.
Overnight, mission managers decided to shorten the originally planned 6.5-hour spacewalk so that the crews can close the hatches about 5 p.m2100 UTC). That plan preserves the option to have Endeavour undock from the station on Sunday and prepare for a landing on Tuesday. The earlier landing is being considered in the event Hurricane Dean threatens the Houston area. It could allow an opportunity for the shuttle to land before Mission Control, Houston, would be shut down in preparation for a storm.
However, managers will review the forecast for Dean and mission activities this afternoon during their daily meeting and assess their options.
Mission Specialist Dave Williams and Flight Engineer Clay Anderson began the spacewalk at 9:17 a.m. They installed a stand for the shuttle’s robotic arm extension boom on the station’s truss structure, installed an External Wireless Instrumentation System antenna and retrieved of two containers of the Materials ISS Experiment. They also had a chance to look down at the hurricane as it swirled in the Caribbean Sea.
Mission Specialist Tracy Caldwell coordinated the spacewalk, a role that she had for all four STS-118 spacewalks.
*Hurricane Dean Information* On-orbit Hurricane Dean Video: + Real Video http://mfile.akamai.com/18565/rm/etouchsyst2.download.akamai.com/18355/real.nasa-global/STS-118/Hurricane_Dean.ram | + Windows Media http://mfile.akamai.com/18566/wmv/etouchsyst2.download.akamai.com/18355/wm.nasa-global/STS-118/Hurricane_Dean.asx + NASA Hurricane Resource Page http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/main/index.html