SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C 331468
*Heat Shield Inspection Continues* 12 AUGUST 2007
The STS-118 crew continues to conduct a focused inspection of Space Shuttle Endeavour’s heat shield. Using the shuttle’s robotic arm and 50-foot-long Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS), the crew is taking a look at five areas on the underside that may have been damaged during the climb to orbit on Aug. 8.
STS-118 Mission Specialists Tracy Caldwell and Barbara Morgan and Commander Scott Kelly are the shuttle robotic arm operators for the inspection. STS-118 Pilot Charles Hobaugh and Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Clay Anderson are operating the International Space Station’s robotic arm, which was used to lift the OBSS out of Endeavour’s payload bay and hand it off to the shuttle arm.
The data collected by the inspection will be sent to the Mission Control Center in Houston for analysis by engineers and flight controllers.
In other activities, cargo transfers continue between Endeavour and the station. Also on tap today are preparations for STS-118’s second spacewalk, slated to begin at 11:31 a.m. EDT Monday and be conducted by Mission Specialists Dave Williams and Rick Mastracchio.
Later today, managers are expected to make a decision about a possible mission extension to 14 days for STS-118. The decision will be based upon the performance of the Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System, which is designed to allow shuttles to receive power from the station during docked operations.