SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C#31468
*Endeavour Docks; Expedition 15 set to Welcome Visitors*
Space Shuttle Endeavour docked with the International Space Station at 2:02 p.m. EDT today, setting the stage for the on-orbit expansion of the outpost. Expedition 15 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineers Oleg Kotov and Clay Anderson will welcome the seven-member STS-118 crew aboard the station after the hatches between the vehicles open at about 3:21 p.m.
Endeavour delivered the Starboard 5 (S5) truss, which will be attached to the station Saturday. The STS-118 crew also will conduct a spacewalk Saturday to assist in the installation and activation of the S5.
In addition to the construction work, the two crews will conduct at least two more spacewalks. One of the spacewalking tasks includes the replacement of a faulty attitude control gyro. The two crews also will transfer cargo between the shuttle and station.
STS-118 is the 22nd shuttle mission to visit the station.
+ Read more about Expedition 15 http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition15/index.html + View crew daily timelines http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/timelines/index.html