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kl90

Live: Atlantis on the ground in El Paso             
                            
A 747 jumbo jet carrying the space shuttle orbiter Atlantis has toucheddown at Biggs Army Airfield near the border city of El Paso, Texas.

Biggsis the only stop today for the ferry flight that departed this morningfrom Edwards Air Force Base in California, and is expected to arrive atKennedy Space Center by Tuesday evening.


Atlantis left Edwards at 11:06 a.m., and completed the roughly 700-milefirst leg of its journey a little over two hours later. The tripincluded a flyover of NASA's White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces,N.M. (see below for photos).

Clicke here to see video of the takeoff from Edwards.

The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, a modified 747, will refuel before taking off again Tuesday at a time not yet determined.


A series of weather briefings will determine the number and location of additional refueling stops.

Biggswas the first stop for Endeavour's ferry flight in December. Fromthere, it proeeeded to Carswell Field near Fort Worth, Texas andBarksdale Air Force Base near Shreveport, La.


If weather allows, pilots could decide to fly over Brevard County beaches before touching down at KSC's three-mile runway.

We'll update the plans as they become available.













IMAGE NOTES: Click to enlarge the images. Top, mounted atop its modified 747 carrieraircraft, space shuttle Atlantis took off from Edwards Air Force Baseat 11:06 a.m. EDT today for the first leg of its cross country trip toback to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA TV. Above,Atlantis and its carrier aircraft fly by NASA's White Sands TestFacility in Las Cruces, N.M. Credit: NASA.

kl90

Live: Atlantis on the ground in El Paso             
                            
A 747 jumbo jet carrying the space shuttle orbiter Atlantis has toucheddown at Biggs Army Airfield near the border city of El Paso, Texas.

Biggsis the only stop today for the ferry flight that departed this morningfrom Edwards Air Force Base in California, and is expected to arrive atKennedy Space Center by Tuesday evening.


Atlantis left Edwards at 11:06 a.m., and completed the roughly 700-milefirst leg of its journey a little over two hours later. The tripincluded a flyover of NASA's White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces,N.M. (see below for photos).

Clicke here to see video of the takeoff from Edwards.

The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, a modified 747, will refuel before taking off again Tuesday at a time not yet determined.


A series of weather briefings will determine the number and location of additional refueling stops.

Biggswas the first stop for Endeavour's ferry flight in December. Fromthere, it proeeeded to Carswell Field near Fort Worth, Texas andBarksdale Air Force Base near Shreveport, La.


If weather allows, pilots could decide to fly over Brevard County beaches before touching down at KSC's three-mile runway.

We'll update the plans as they become available.













IMAGE NOTES: Click to enlarge the images. Top, mounted atop its modified 747 carrieraircraft, space shuttle Atlantis took off from Edwards Air Force Baseat 11:06 a.m. EDT today for the first leg of its cross country trip toback to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA TV. Above,Atlantis and its carrier aircraft fly by NASA's White Sands TestFacility in Las Cruces, N.M. Credit: NASA.

kl90

NASA Names Members of Human Spaceflight Panel             
                            
NASA today announced the 10 members of a blue-ribbon presidentialpanel, led by Norman Augustine, that will review the agency's plans forhuman spaceflight over the next 60 to 90 days.

The committees first public meeting is scheduled June 17 in Washingon, D.C.

Here's the press release - let us know what you think of the panel:

NASA ANNOUNCES MEMBERS OF HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT REVIEW COMMITTEE

WASHINGTON -- NASA announced Monday the members of the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee. They are:


- Norman Augustine (chair, shown at left), retired chairman and CEO,Lockheed Martin Corp., and former member of the President's Council ofAdvisors on Science and Technology under Presidents Bill Clinton andGeorge W. Bush

- Dr. Wanda Austin, president and CEO, The Aerospace Corp.

-Bohdan Bejmuk, chair, Constellation program Standing Review Board, andformer manager of the Boeing Space Shuttle and Sea Launch programs

- Dr. Leroy Chiao, former astronaut, former International Space Station commander and engineering consultant

-Dr. Christopher Chyba, professor of Astrophysical Sciences andInternational Affairs, Princeton University, and member, President'sCouncil of Advisors on Science and Technology

- Dr. EdwardCrawley, Ford Professor of Engineering at MIT and co-chair, NASAExploration Technology Development Program Review Committee

- Jeffrey Greason, co-founder and CEO, XCOR Aerospace, and vice-chair, Personal Spaceflight Federation

-Dr. Charles Kennel, chair, National Academies Space Studies Board, anddirector and professor emeritus, Scripps Institution of Oceanography,University of California, San Diego

- Retired Air Force Gen.Lester Lyles, chair, National Academies Committee on the Rationale andGoals of the U.S. Civil Space Program, former Air Force vice chief ofstaff and former commander of the Air Force Materiel Command

-Dr. Sally Ride, former astronaut, first American woman in space, CEO ofSally Ride Science and professor emerita at the University ofCalifornia, San Diego

Norman Augustine will chair theindependent review of U.S. human space flight plans. During the courseof the review, the panel will examine ongoing and planned NASAdevelopment activities and potential alternatives in order to presentoptions for advancing a safe, innovative, affordable and sustainablehuman space flight program
following the space shuttle'sretirement. The committee will present its results in time to supportan administration decision on the way forward by August 2009.

"Ilook forward to working with the members of the committee to assist indefining the future U.S. human space flight program," Augustine said."The members offer a broad spectrum of professional backgrounds, and weare all committed to offering sensible proposals that will serve theWhite House and NASA in their deliberations."

Dr. W. MichaelHawes is leading the NASA review team that will provide technical andanalytic support to the committee. Hawes is NASA's associateadministrator for program analysis and evaluation. Philip McAlister isthe executive director of the committee and the designated federalofficial.

The committee will hold several public meetings atdifferent U.S. locations. The first public meeting will take place June17 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. EDT at the Carnegie Institution, located at1530 P Street NW in Washington. Topics on the agenda for the meetinginclude previous studies about U.S. human space flight; national spacepolicy; international cooperation; evolved expendable launch vehicles;commercial human space flight capabilities; and exploration technologyplanning.

The Federal Register published a notice May 15officially announcing NASA's establishment of the Review of U.S. HumanSpace Flight Plans Committee. The committee will operate according tothe Federal Advisory Committee Act.

NASA Acting AdministratorChris Scolese signed the charter for the committee Monday, enabling itto begin operations. The charter can be viewed at:

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/353935main_RUSHSFPC_charter.pdf

The Federal Register notice is available at:

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-11412.htm

For information about NASA and agency activities, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

-end-

Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas, who represents Kennedy Space Center, issued the following statement:

"Ourprimary goal must continue to be finding ways to minimize thespaceflight gap, and the members of the Augustine Panel possess awealth of experience and technical knowhow that will be invaluable inaddressing this challenge. It is my hope that they will work quickly toidentify solutions that will help preserve as many jobs as possiblewhile maintaining America's status as the world leader in space,science and technology."

kl90

Astronauts Sweep Into Town For Mock Countdown             
                            
NASA's next shuttle crew swept into Kennedy Space Center in a rush thisafternoon, landing at the three-miles shuttle runway and then whiskingoff to take part in a two-day practice countdown for a planned June 13launch.

Led by veteran mission commander Mark Polansky, the crewis on a hectic schedule: the practice countdown and emergency escapetraining on their launch tower Wednesday and Thursday and then theastronauts head into quarantine on Saturday -- a week before theplanned launch.


Then it's another flight back to KSC the following Monday night; thelaunch countdown picks up that Wednesday, the shuttle's fuel cells areserviced on Thursday, Endeavour's external tank is fueled Friday andliftoff is set for 7:17 a.m. Saturday June 13.

"So for us, it'sa little bit of a compressed schedule," Polansky said during briefcomments at a microphone set up at the Shuttle Landing Facility.

Nonetheless,Polansky said the astronauts are looking forward to what amounts to afull-up launch-day dress rehearsal here at KSC this week.

"We'redelighted to be here for the terminal countdown test, better known asTCDT. Certainly there has been a lot of activity with the successfulcompletion of the Hubble mission on Atlantis, and we'd like to go aheadand thank everybody at the Kennedy Space Center for their hard work intaking the vehicle Endeavour and moving it successfully to our launchpad 39A," he said.

Polansky said the crew is excited about thelaunch -- about "getting our job done. And we want to thank you all forcoming out. So we'll see you soon."


And then they were off.

Ridingin a white NASA bus, the astronauts headed off for training in M113armored personnel carriers that would be used to escape the launch padarea in the event of a fire or explosion or other emergency. Also ontap: last-minute preparations for the Terminal Countdown DemonstrationTest -- or TCDT -- the last major prelaunch test for astronauts here atKSC.

Polansky and his crewmates will field questions fromreporters during an informal Q&A at launch pad 39A at 9:20 a.m.Wednesday. You can watch it live here in The Flame Trench. Simply clickthe NASA TV box on the righthand side of the page to launch our NASA TVviewer.

ABOUT THE IMAGE: At the top of the item, clickto enlarge the Florida Today photo of the STS-127 astronaut crew duringa brief appearance their today. The crew includes (left to right)mission specialist Tim Kopra, pilot Doug Hurley, mission specialist TomMarshburn, mission commander Mark Polansky, mission specialist JuliePayette of the Canadian Space Agency, mission specialist David Wolf andmission specialist Chris Cassidy. The second photo is of canadianastronaut Julie Payette. And the third shows mission specialist DavidWolf eyeballing photographers while mission specialist Chris Cassidywatched on. Photo credit: Craig Rubadoux/Florida Today.

kl90

Atlantis & 747 Arrive At KSC At 6:54The 747 and Atlantis just rolled to a stop on Runway 15 at KennedySpace Center, winding up a two-day cross-country ferry flight fromEdwards Air Force Base in California.


The orbiter and its 747 flew south of its shuttle homeport and thenover Space Coast beaches before making a swing by launch pads 39A and39B on the way to NASA's three-mile shuttle runway.

The shuttlereturned after a wildly successful fifth and final mission to serviceNASA's flagship Hubble Space Telescope. Its next flight: anInternational Space Station assembly mission scheduled for launch inNovember.

kl90

Photo Fest: Atlantis & 747 Fly Back To Homeport             
                            
The orbiter Atlantis and its 747 carrier aircraft are safely back onthe ground at Kennedy Space Center today after a cross-country tripthat included a last-leg grand tour of Florida's Space Coast.

Hereis a selection of 13 NASA TV screen grabs and a NASA image that you canclick to enlarge and save. We pulled them down from a live video feedout here at the Launch Complex 39 Press Site while the 747 and Atlantiswere making their way back the orbiter's shuttle homeport.

My favorite:


This shot of the jumbo jet and Atlantis cruising by launch pad 39Abefore turning onto a final approach to Runway 15, the northern end ofthe three-mile landing strip here at KSC.

Endeavour, up forlaunch June 13, had been on standy on that pad just in case Atlantissustained major damage during the Hubble Space Telescope servicingmission. Four astronauts would have launched on Endeavour on a rescuemission in that case.

And here's my second favorite:


This is a great NASA shot that shows Atlantis and the 747 cruising bythe Florida Today building at the Launch Complex 39 Press Site.

Clickto enlarge it and you'll see me watching from on top of our blockhouse.You can click the enlarged image, too, for an even more detailed view.

Photo Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett.

The best of the rest:

kl90

Practice Countdown Under Way

Blogger Note: Senior NASA managers are meeting at this hour in aFlight Readiness Review for the planned June 13 launch of Endeavour. Apost-FRR news conference will be held late this afternoon, and we'llbroadcast it live here in The Flame Trench. Simply click the NASA TVbox at the righthand side of the page to launch our NASA TV viewer, andbe sure to refresh this page for periodic updates.

The Endeavour astronauts are going through emergency escape training at the launch pad 39A andwill take part Thursday in the final day of a practice countdown for aplanned June 13 launch on an International Space Station assemblymission.

Countdown clocks are ticking backward here at KennedySpace Center and Firing Room 4 at the Launch Control Center is fullystaffed for the STS-127 Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test -- thelast major pre-launch training exercise for the astronauts at KSC.


Mission commander Mark "Roman" Polansky and crewmates will donbright-orange partial-pressure launch-and-entry suits early Thursdayand then depart crew quarters at the Operations & Checkout Buildingjust as if it were an actual launch day.

The six-man, one-womancrew will board NASA's silver-bullet AstroVan and make the 12-miledrive out to pad 39A. Then they'll board a small elevator and ascend tothe 195-foot-level of the launch tower before crossing over a metalcatwalk -- the Orbiter Access Arm.

A launch-pad team known as"the Close-Out Crew" will help the astronauts put on 80-poundparachute/survival packs, crawl through the orbiter's side hatch andthen strap into seats on the crew cabin's flight deck and middeck.

Thecountdown clocks will continue clicking down to T-Minus 4 seconds andthe astronauts will go through all communications and shuttle systemstests before the launch team simulates a main engine shutdown andlaunch pad abort.

An emergency escape drill will follow.

Polansky told reporters today that the training exercise is a critical part of preparing to launch on a shuttle mission.

"Ipersonally have always thought that it is a really important, necessarypart of what the entire team does. It certainly isn't just about thecrew. As a matter of fact I would probably say the crew has a smallpart of it," the veteran shuttle pilot and mission commander said.

"Everyone now gets to put everything else aside and think STS-127 andEndeavour. So I think it focuses the team. It certainly gets them tolook at a lot of things they are going to see on launch day. Hopefully,if there are any glitches, now is the time to find them out," Polanskysaid.

"From the crew perspective, for some people, they havenever ever gotten up to the vehicle and strapped in one before. So Ithink it gives you a certain familiarity that will pay dividends whenyou do it for real," he added.

"For us also it gives us a chanceto test all of our equipment, like our suits and our harnesses, andwork some of the kinks out on those as well. So all in all, you know, Ithink it's just a really important thing to do."

Rookie pilotDouglas Hurley has been through the drill a few times as a member of anAstronaut Office group called the "Cape Crusaders" -- astronauts whowork in support roles at KSC.

"I've spent a lot of time downhere as a Cape Crusader, and strapped some crews in, so I've been inthe vehicle quite a bit down here for terminal countdown tests andlaunch count, so that'll seem familiar. But being the guy actuallygetting strapped into the right seat for the first time, I think it'sgoing to be really exciting, and I think it's going to be fun, andwe're ready to go," Hurley said.

His crewmate Chris Cassidy, a former Navy SEAL, is just as psyched.

"It'sexciting for me as a first time flyer to get this opportunity to be soclose to the vehicle,: Cassidy said, "and tomorrow we'll get to get inour suits and climb in there and do a dry count and I really can'twait."

The crew also includes mission specialists David Wolf, Tom Marshburn, Tim Kopra and Julie Payette of the Candian Space Agency.

Thestart of the real three-day countdown to the June 13 launch is justseven days away, and Payette said the excitement already is palpable atthe Cape.

"We're 10 days from launch, and we can tell that a shuttle is about to launch.
It'sin the air," Payette said. "You guys have been around. You know that.You all old hat at it. I'm not. This is only my second time, and I justcan't believe I'm doing this, and I'm doing this with these fine folks.It is still extremely exciting."

kl90

First Lady confident about Bolden
This just in from Eun Kim in Washington.

First Lady Michelle Obama seems to be expressing confidence in her husband's selection for the next NASA chief.

During a commencement speech today to a Washington high school, the first lady referred to the president's nominee as "Administrator Charles Bolden." She also spoke as if he already has the job.

"As the new head of NASA, the first African American to hold this post, Administrator Bolden is going to lead our nation's exploration of the moon, Mars and beyond," she told graduates of Washington Math Science Technology Public Charter School at a ceremony on the Howard University campus.

Bolden was nominated on May 23 by President Obama. He must be confirmed by the full Senate before he can officially lead the space agency.

Although he has been making the rounds on Capitol Hill, answering any questions from lawmakers, a confirmation hearing for the former astronaut and retired Marine Corps general has yet to be scheduled.

Because of the involved paperwork, considered routine in a presidential nomination, a hearing is not likely for several weeks. Most likely, it will take place in early July.

kl90

First Lady confident about Bolden
This just in from Eun Kim in Washington.

First Lady Michelle Obama seems to be expressing confidence in her husband's selection for the next NASA chief.

During a commencement speech today to a Washington high school, the first lady referred to the president's nominee as "Administrator Charles Bolden." She also spoke as if he already has the job.

"As the new head of NASA, the first African American to hold this post, Administrator Bolden is going to lead our nation's exploration of the moon, Mars and beyond," she told graduates of Washington Math Science Technology Public Charter School at a ceremony on the Howard University campus.

Bolden was nominated on May 23 by President Obama. He must be confirmed by the full Senate before he can officially lead the space agency.

Although he has been making the rounds on Capitol Hill, answering any questions from lawmakers, a confirmation hearing for the former astronaut and retired Marine Corps general has yet to be scheduled.

Because of the involved paperwork, considered routine in a presidential nomination, a hearing is not likely for several weeks. Most likely, it will take place in early July.

kl90

Canadian to visit ISS
                            
GuyLaliberte, founder of Cirque du Soleil and the ONE DROP Foundation,will be the next spaceflight participant to visit the InternationalSpace Station. He will launch with the Russian Soyuz TMA-16 crew thisSeptember 30.

The "Poetic Social Mission" will focus on waterquality, Laliberte said at a press conference today. He plans to createan artistic performance and a work of poetry for the trip, which couldlast 13 days and will cost $35 million or more.

Laliberte said he was not afraid.

"Youhave to make sure there is no fear that you are bringing in with you,"he said. "My main concern is to make sure I am ready."

The Canadian is the seventh spaceflight participant to fly with a Russian crew.

"Ourgoal is to promote space exploration by building a series ofnon-professional missions," Sergey Kostenko, vice president of SpaceAdventures in Moscow.

Space Adventures is the only company now hosting commercial spaceflights.

kl90

Canadian to visit ISS
                            
GuyLaliberte, founder of Cirque du Soleil and the ONE DROP Foundation,will be the next spaceflight participant to visit the InternationalSpace Station. He will launch with the Russian Soyuz TMA-16 crew thisSeptember 30.

The "Poetic Social Mission" will focus on waterquality, Laliberte said at a press conference today. He plans to createan artistic performance and a work of poetry for the trip, which couldlast 13 days and will cost $35 million or more.

Laliberte said he was not afraid.

"Youhave to make sure there is no fear that you are bringing in with you,"he said. "My main concern is to make sure I am ready."

The Canadian is the seventh spaceflight participant to fly with a Russian crew.

"Ourgoal is to promote space exploration by building a series ofnon-professional missions," Sergey Kostenko, vice president of SpaceAdventures in Moscow.

Space Adventures is the only company now hosting commercial spaceflights.

kl90

Canadian to visit ISS
                            
GuyLaliberte, founder of Cirque du Soleil and the ONE DROP Foundation,will be the next spaceflight participant to visit the InternationalSpace Station. He will launch with the Russian Soyuz TMA-16 crew thisSeptember 30.

The "Poetic Social Mission" will focus on waterquality, Laliberte said at a press conference today. He plans to createan artistic performance and a work of poetry for the trip, which couldlast 13 days and will cost $35 million or more.

Laliberte said he was not afraid.

"Youhave to make sure there is no fear that you are bringing in with you,"he said. "My main concern is to make sure I am ready."

The Canadian is the seventh spaceflight participant to fly with a Russian crew.

"Ourgoal is to promote space exploration by building a series ofnon-professional missions," Sergey Kostenko, vice president of SpaceAdventures in Moscow.

Space Adventures is the only company now hosting commercial spaceflights.

kl90

Endeavour Astronauts Complete Mock Countdown             
                            
The Endeavour astronauts staged an emergency escape drill at KennedySpace Center's launch pad 39A today, winding up a two-day practicecountdown and a full-up dress rehearsal for a planned June 13 launch.

Deckedout in bright-orange partial-pressure launch-and-entry suits, theastronauts departed crew quarters at the Operations and CheckoutBuilding in the KSC Industrial Area early today and then headed out tothe pad in NASA's Astrovan.

With Firing Room 4 at the LaunchControl Center fully staffed, and countdown clocks ticking backward,the astronauts took a lift to the 195-foot-level of the launch towerand boarded the orbiter through its side hatch.

Mission commander Mark Polansky and his crew then went through all thesame systems checks that they will step through a week from Saturday ascountdown clocks wound down to a simulated main engine shutdown aroundT-Minus 4 seconds.

The astronauts exited the vehicle in smallgroups and moved quickly to slidewire baskets on the opposite side ofthe 195-foot-level of the pad.

The astronauts all climbed intothe baskets but did not hit release levers that would have sent themwhizzing down a 1,200-foot slidewire to a bunker area on the westernperimeter of the pad area.

The Terminal Countdown DemonstrationTest -- or TCDT -- was the last major prelaunch training exercise forthe astronauts at KSC. Had it been a real launch day with a real T-Zeroat 11 a.m., the launch would have been weathered out.

Four keyLaunch Commit Criteria were violated by the cloudy, rainy conditionshere at the nation's spaceport today. The chart above shows NASA wouldhave been no-go for cumulus clouds, disturbed weather, field mills andflight through precipitation.

NASA has a network of field millsthat measure electrical potential in the atmosphere. They are meant toprevent NASA from launching into atmospheric conditions that mightcause a shuttle to trigger destructive bolts of lightning in flight.

Theastronauts are scheduled to fly back to Ellington Air Field nearJohnson Space Center tonight and then go into quarantine at JSC onSaturday.

The crew will return to KSC at 12:15 a.m. Tuesday, anda three-day countdown will pick up at 9 a.m. Wednesday. External tankfuel-loading operations are slated to begin at 9:52 p.m. Friday.Liftoff is targeted for 7:17 a.m. Saturday.

kl90

Coming Up Live: Spacewalk On Tap At Station                                         

A Russian cosmonaut and an American astronautwill venture outside the International Space Station early Friday,aiming to equip the outpost for the arrival later this year of a newRussian module.

Station commander Gennady Padalka and flightengineer Michael Barratt are slated to exit the Russian Pirs airlock at2:45 a.m. for an excursion expected to last 5.5 hours.

The jobat hand: Rigging up docking system antennas that will be used toautomatically berth the Russian Mini Research Module 2 after it islaunched to the station in November.


The 8,800-pound module is nearly identical to the station's keg-shapedPirs -- or "peer" -- docking compartment, which doubles as an airlock.

The Mini Research Module will be berthed to a zenith port at the forward end of the Russian Zvezda Service Module.

Youcan watch the action live here in The Flame Trench starting at 2:15a.m. Friday. Simply click the NASA TV box on the righthand side of thispage to launch our NASA TV viewer, and be sure to refresh this page forperiodic updates.

The 5.5-hour outing is slated to begin at 2:45 a.m. Click here to see the Detailed Timeline for the spacewalk.


Padalka, the lead spacewalker, will be answering to the radio call signEV-1 and wearing a Russian Orlan MK spacesuit with red stripes. Barrattwill be EV-2 and wear an Orlan MK with blue stripes.

Orlanmeans "Sea Eagle" in Russian. The Orlan MK is a new version making itsdebut. It is equipped with a new electronic control display paneldesigned to give spacewalkers more insight into the health of spacesuitsystems.

Padalka and Barratt plan to pick up two antenna packsand then put them in place on the outside of the hull of the forwardend of the Russian Zvezda -- or "Star" -- Service module.

Theantennas will enable the Mini Research Module to guide itself in to itsService Module docking port. Like Pirs, it will serve as a berthingport for Soyuz crew transport ships and robotic Progress cargo carriers.

Padalkaand Barratt also will be stringing electrical cables that connect theantennas with the Ukrainian-built KURS automatic docking system controlstation inside the station.

Toward the end of the excursion,Barratt, with a camera in hand, will anchor himself to the end of thetelescoping Strela boom outside the Pirs module to document theposition and condition of the antennas and cabling.

The twospacewalkers will return to the Pirs airlock after Russian MissionControl outside Moscow verifies to antennas are working properly.

Thespacewalk will be the first performed since the size of the stationcrew was expanded to six. The four resident crew members will beseparated to make certain all could board a three-person Soyuz lifeboatin an emergency.

Newly arrived Russian cosmonaut RomanRomanenko, European astronaut Frank De Winne and Canadian Robert Thirskall will remain on the U.S. Destiny laboratory, where they couldquickly move into a Soyuz docked at an Earth-facing port on thestation's Russian Zarya -- or "Dawn" module.

Launched inNovember 1998, Zarya was the first segment of the station and provideda foundation for the U.S. Unity Module to link to in December 1998.

Japaneseastronaut Koichi Wakata, crewmates with Padalka and Barratt since hislaunch on shuttle Discovery in late March, will remain in the RussianService Module. A Soyuz lifeboat is parked at its aft end.

Thespacewalk will be the first of two that will be staged at the stationover the next week. Padalka and Barratt will do an internal spacewalkat the forward end of the Service Module next Wednesday. Working invacuum, they plan to install a docking cone that will enable the MiniResearch Module to dock at the zenith port of Service Module.

Thespacewalk early Friday will be the seventh for Padalka and the firstfor Barratt. It will be the 124th since Zarya and Unity were linked inlow Earth orbit in 1998. Station construction workers from the U.S.,Russia, Japan, Canada, Germany, France and Sweden so far have logged775 hours and 14 minutes of spacewalking assembly and maintenance workat the outpost.

kl90

Coming Up Live: Spacewalk On Tap At Station                                         

A Russian cosmonaut and an American astronautwill venture outside the International Space Station early Friday,aiming to equip the outpost for the arrival later this year of a newRussian module.

Station commander Gennady Padalka and flightengineer Michael Barratt are slated to exit the Russian Pirs airlock at2:45 a.m. for an excursion expected to last 5.5 hours.

The jobat hand: Rigging up docking system antennas that will be used toautomatically berth the Russian Mini Research Module 2 after it islaunched to the station in November.


The 8,800-pound module is nearly identical to the station's keg-shapedPirs -- or "peer" -- docking compartment, which doubles as an airlock.

The Mini Research Module will be berthed to a zenith port at the forward end of the Russian Zvezda Service Module.

Youcan watch the action live here in The Flame Trench starting at 2:15a.m. Friday. Simply click the NASA TV box on the righthand side of thispage to launch our NASA TV viewer, and be sure to refresh this page forperiodic updates.

The 5.5-hour outing is slated to begin at 2:45 a.m. Click here to see the Detailed Timeline for the spacewalk.


Padalka, the lead spacewalker, will be answering to the radio call signEV-1 and wearing a Russian Orlan MK spacesuit with red stripes. Barrattwill be EV-2 and wear an Orlan MK with blue stripes.

Orlanmeans "Sea Eagle" in Russian. The Orlan MK is a new version making itsdebut. It is equipped with a new electronic control display paneldesigned to give spacewalkers more insight into the health of spacesuitsystems.

Padalka and Barratt plan to pick up two antenna packsand then put them in place on the outside of the hull of the forwardend of the Russian Zvezda -- or "Star" -- Service module.

Theantennas will enable the Mini Research Module to guide itself in to itsService Module docking port. Like Pirs, it will serve as a berthingport for Soyuz crew transport ships and robotic Progress cargo carriers.

Padalkaand Barratt also will be stringing electrical cables that connect theantennas with the Ukrainian-built KURS automatic docking system controlstation inside the station.

Toward the end of the excursion,Barratt, with a camera in hand, will anchor himself to the end of thetelescoping Strela boom outside the Pirs module to document theposition and condition of the antennas and cabling.

The twospacewalkers will return to the Pirs airlock after Russian MissionControl outside Moscow verifies to antennas are working properly.

Thespacewalk will be the first performed since the size of the stationcrew was expanded to six. The four resident crew members will beseparated to make certain all could board a three-person Soyuz lifeboatin an emergency.

Newly arrived Russian cosmonaut RomanRomanenko, European astronaut Frank De Winne and Canadian Robert Thirskall will remain on the U.S. Destiny laboratory, where they couldquickly move into a Soyuz docked at an Earth-facing port on thestation's Russian Zarya -- or "Dawn" module.

Launched inNovember 1998, Zarya was the first segment of the station and provideda foundation for the U.S. Unity Module to link to in December 1998.

Japaneseastronaut Koichi Wakata, crewmates with Padalka and Barratt since hislaunch on shuttle Discovery in late March, will remain in the RussianService Module. A Soyuz lifeboat is parked at its aft end.

Thespacewalk will be the first of two that will be staged at the stationover the next week. Padalka and Barratt will do an internal spacewalkat the forward end of the Service Module next Wednesday. Working invacuum, they plan to install a docking cone that will enable the MiniResearch Module to dock at the zenith port of Service Module.

Thespacewalk early Friday will be the seventh for Padalka and the firstfor Barratt. It will be the 124th since Zarya and Unity were linked inlow Earth orbit in 1998. Station construction workers from the U.S.,Russia, Japan, Canada, Germany, France and Sweden so far have logged775 hours and 14 minutes of spacewalking assembly and maintenance workat the outpost.

kl90

Coming Up Live: Spacewalk On Tap At Station                                         

A Russian cosmonaut and an American astronautwill venture outside the International Space Station early Friday,aiming to equip the outpost for the arrival later this year of a newRussian module.

Station commander Gennady Padalka and flightengineer Michael Barratt are slated to exit the Russian Pirs airlock at2:45 a.m. for an excursion expected to last 5.5 hours.

The jobat hand: Rigging up docking system antennas that will be used toautomatically berth the Russian Mini Research Module 2 after it islaunched to the station in November.


The 8,800-pound module is nearly identical to the station's keg-shapedPirs -- or "peer" -- docking compartment, which doubles as an airlock.

The Mini Research Module will be berthed to a zenith port at the forward end of the Russian Zvezda Service Module.

Youcan watch the action live here in The Flame Trench starting at 2:15a.m. Friday. Simply click the NASA TV box on the righthand side of thispage to launch our NASA TV viewer, and be sure to refresh this page forperiodic updates.

The 5.5-hour outing is slated to begin at 2:45 a.m. Click here to see the Detailed Timeline for the spacewalk.


Padalka, the lead spacewalker, will be answering to the radio call signEV-1 and wearing a Russian Orlan MK spacesuit with red stripes. Barrattwill be EV-2 and wear an Orlan MK with blue stripes.

Orlanmeans "Sea Eagle" in Russian. The Orlan MK is a new version making itsdebut. It is equipped with a new electronic control display paneldesigned to give spacewalkers more insight into the health of spacesuitsystems.

Padalka and Barratt plan to pick up two antenna packsand then put them in place on the outside of the hull of the forwardend of the Russian Zvezda -- or "Star" -- Service module.

Theantennas will enable the Mini Research Module to guide itself in to itsService Module docking port. Like Pirs, it will serve as a berthingport for Soyuz crew transport ships and robotic Progress cargo carriers.

Padalkaand Barratt also will be stringing electrical cables that connect theantennas with the Ukrainian-built KURS automatic docking system controlstation inside the station.

Toward the end of the excursion,Barratt, with a camera in hand, will anchor himself to the end of thetelescoping Strela boom outside the Pirs module to document theposition and condition of the antennas and cabling.

The twospacewalkers will return to the Pirs airlock after Russian MissionControl outside Moscow verifies to antennas are working properly.

Thespacewalk will be the first performed since the size of the stationcrew was expanded to six. The four resident crew members will beseparated to make certain all could board a three-person Soyuz lifeboatin an emergency.

Newly arrived Russian cosmonaut RomanRomanenko, European astronaut Frank De Winne and Canadian Robert Thirskall will remain on the U.S. Destiny laboratory, where they couldquickly move into a Soyuz docked at an Earth-facing port on thestation's Russian Zarya -- or "Dawn" module.

Launched inNovember 1998, Zarya was the first segment of the station and provideda foundation for the U.S. Unity Module to link to in December 1998.

Japaneseastronaut Koichi Wakata, crewmates with Padalka and Barratt since hislaunch on shuttle Discovery in late March, will remain in the RussianService Module. A Soyuz lifeboat is parked at its aft end.

Thespacewalk will be the first of two that will be staged at the stationover the next week. Padalka and Barratt will do an internal spacewalkat the forward end of the Service Module next Wednesday. Working invacuum, they plan to install a docking cone that will enable the MiniResearch Module to dock at the zenith port of Service Module.

Thespacewalk early Friday will be the seventh for Padalka and the firstfor Barratt. It will be the 124th since Zarya and Unity were linked inlow Earth orbit in 1998. Station construction workers from the U.S.,Russia, Japan, Canada, Germany, France and Sweden so far have logged775 hours and 14 minutes of spacewalking assembly and maintenance workat the outpost.

kl90

Coming Up Live: Spacewalk On Tap At Station                                         

A Russian cosmonaut and an American astronautwill venture outside the International Space Station early Friday,aiming to equip the outpost for the arrival later this year of a newRussian module.

Station commander Gennady Padalka and flightengineer Michael Barratt are slated to exit the Russian Pirs airlock at2:45 a.m. for an excursion expected to last 5.5 hours.

The jobat hand: Rigging up docking system antennas that will be used toautomatically berth the Russian Mini Research Module 2 after it islaunched to the station in November.


The 8,800-pound module is nearly identical to the station's keg-shapedPirs -- or "peer" -- docking compartment, which doubles as an airlock.

The Mini Research Module will be berthed to a zenith port at the forward end of the Russian Zvezda Service Module.

Youcan watch the action live here in The Flame Trench starting at 2:15a.m. Friday. Simply click the NASA TV box on the righthand side of thispage to launch our NASA TV viewer, and be sure to refresh this page forperiodic updates.

The 5.5-hour outing is slated to begin at 2:45 a.m. Click here to see the Detailed Timeline for the spacewalk.


Padalka, the lead spacewalker, will be answering to the radio call signEV-1 and wearing a Russian Orlan MK spacesuit with red stripes. Barrattwill be EV-2 and wear an Orlan MK with blue stripes.

Orlanmeans "Sea Eagle" in Russian. The Orlan MK is a new version making itsdebut. It is equipped with a new electronic control display paneldesigned to give spacewalkers more insight into the health of spacesuitsystems.

Padalka and Barratt plan to pick up two antenna packsand then put them in place on the outside of the hull of the forwardend of the Russian Zvezda -- or "Star" -- Service module.

Theantennas will enable the Mini Research Module to guide itself in to itsService Module docking port. Like Pirs, it will serve as a berthingport for Soyuz crew transport ships and robotic Progress cargo carriers.

Padalkaand Barratt also will be stringing electrical cables that connect theantennas with the Ukrainian-built KURS automatic docking system controlstation inside the station.

Toward the end of the excursion,Barratt, with a camera in hand, will anchor himself to the end of thetelescoping Strela boom outside the Pirs module to document theposition and condition of the antennas and cabling.

The twospacewalkers will return to the Pirs airlock after Russian MissionControl outside Moscow verifies to antennas are working properly.

Thespacewalk will be the first performed since the size of the stationcrew was expanded to six. The four resident crew members will beseparated to make certain all could board a three-person Soyuz lifeboatin an emergency.

Newly arrived Russian cosmonaut RomanRomanenko, European astronaut Frank De Winne and Canadian Robert Thirskall will remain on the U.S. Destiny laboratory, where they couldquickly move into a Soyuz docked at an Earth-facing port on thestation's Russian Zarya -- or "Dawn" module.

Launched inNovember 1998, Zarya was the first segment of the station and provideda foundation for the U.S. Unity Module to link to in December 1998.

Japaneseastronaut Koichi Wakata, crewmates with Padalka and Barratt since hislaunch on shuttle Discovery in late March, will remain in the RussianService Module. A Soyuz lifeboat is parked at its aft end.

Thespacewalk will be the first of two that will be staged at the stationover the next week. Padalka and Barratt will do an internal spacewalkat the forward end of the Service Module next Wednesday. Working invacuum, they plan to install a docking cone that will enable the MiniResearch Module to dock at the zenith port of Service Module.

Thespacewalk early Friday will be the seventh for Padalka and the firstfor Barratt. It will be the 124th since Zarya and Unity were linked inlow Earth orbit in 1998. Station construction workers from the U.S.,Russia, Japan, Canada, Germany, France and Sweden so far have logged775 hours and 14 minutes of spacewalking assembly and maintenance workat the outpost.

kl90

Coming Up Live: Spacewalk On Tap At Station                                         

A Russian cosmonaut and an American astronautwill venture outside the International Space Station early Friday,aiming to equip the outpost for the arrival later this year of a newRussian module.

Station commander Gennady Padalka and flightengineer Michael Barratt are slated to exit the Russian Pirs airlock at2:45 a.m. for an excursion expected to last 5.5 hours.

The jobat hand: Rigging up docking system antennas that will be used toautomatically berth the Russian Mini Research Module 2 after it islaunched to the station in November.


The 8,800-pound module is nearly identical to the station's keg-shapedPirs -- or "peer" -- docking compartment, which doubles as an airlock.

The Mini Research Module will be berthed to a zenith port at the forward end of the Russian Zvezda Service Module.

Youcan watch the action live here in The Flame Trench starting at 2:15a.m. Friday. Simply click the NASA TV box on the righthand side of thispage to launch our NASA TV viewer, and be sure to refresh this page forperiodic updates.

The 5.5-hour outing is slated to begin at 2:45 a.m. Click here to see the Detailed Timeline for the spacewalk.


Padalka, the lead spacewalker, will be answering to the radio call signEV-1 and wearing a Russian Orlan MK spacesuit with red stripes. Barrattwill be EV-2 and wear an Orlan MK with blue stripes.

Orlanmeans "Sea Eagle" in Russian. The Orlan MK is a new version making itsdebut. It is equipped with a new electronic control display paneldesigned to give spacewalkers more insight into the health of spacesuitsystems.

Padalka and Barratt plan to pick up two antenna packsand then put them in place on the outside of the hull of the forwardend of the Russian Zvezda -- or "Star" -- Service module.

Theantennas will enable the Mini Research Module to guide itself in to itsService Module docking port. Like Pirs, it will serve as a berthingport for Soyuz crew transport ships and robotic Progress cargo carriers.

Padalkaand Barratt also will be stringing electrical cables that connect theantennas with the Ukrainian-built KURS automatic docking system controlstation inside the station.

Toward the end of the excursion,Barratt, with a camera in hand, will anchor himself to the end of thetelescoping Strela boom outside the Pirs module to document theposition and condition of the antennas and cabling.

The twospacewalkers will return to the Pirs airlock after Russian MissionControl outside Moscow verifies to antennas are working properly.

Thespacewalk will be the first performed since the size of the stationcrew was expanded to six. The four resident crew members will beseparated to make certain all could board a three-person Soyuz lifeboatin an emergency.

Newly arrived Russian cosmonaut RomanRomanenko, European astronaut Frank De Winne and Canadian Robert Thirskall will remain on the U.S. Destiny laboratory, where they couldquickly move into a Soyuz docked at an Earth-facing port on thestation's Russian Zarya -- or "Dawn" module.

Launched inNovember 1998, Zarya was the first segment of the station and provideda foundation for the U.S. Unity Module to link to in December 1998.

Japaneseastronaut Koichi Wakata, crewmates with Padalka and Barratt since hislaunch on shuttle Discovery in late March, will remain in the RussianService Module. A Soyuz lifeboat is parked at its aft end.

Thespacewalk will be the first of two that will be staged at the stationover the next week. Padalka and Barratt will do an internal spacewalkat the forward end of the Service Module next Wednesday. Working invacuum, they plan to install a docking cone that will enable the MiniResearch Module to dock at the zenith port of Service Module.

Thespacewalk early Friday will be the seventh for Padalka and the firstfor Barratt. It will be the 124th since Zarya and Unity were linked inlow Earth orbit in 1998. Station construction workers from the U.S.,Russia, Japan, Canada, Germany, France and Sweden so far have logged775 hours and 14 minutes of spacewalking assembly and maintenance workat the outpost.

kl90

House leader cuts NASA's exploration budget
This just in from Eun Kim, reporting from Washington ...

The upcoming White House review of NASA's spaceflight program prompted a House panel on Thursday to trim the agency's exploration budget.

Rep. Alan Mollohan, the West Virginia Democrat who chairs the panel, said the cuts "should not be viewed as a diminution of my support" for NASA's manned spaceflight program.

"Rather, this deferral is taken without prejudice," he said in a statement. "It is a pause, a time-out, to allow the president to establish his vision for human space exploration and to commit to realistic future funding levels to realize this vision."

An independent panel being led by Norman Augustine, the former chief executive of Lockheed Martin, will begin reviewing NASA's plans for human spaceflight later this month. It expects to make recommendations to Congress within 60 to 90 days.

Mollohan is the chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee that oversees NASA's budget. The panel on Thursday trimmed NASA's proposed budget for next year to $18.2 billion, about $483 million less than what the White House recommended.

However, the figure is $421 million more than what the NASA received in the current spending year.

Space exploration took the biggest hit: $212 million less than what it received in the current year's budget. The full House Appropriations Committee was scheduled to take up the bill next Tuesday.

kl90

Spacewalk At Station Affords Fantastic Views
                            
A Russian cosmonaut and an American astronaut are back inside theInternational Space Station after successfully installing two antennasthat will guide a new Russian module to an automatic docking when itarrives at the outpost later this year.

Station skipper GennadyPadalka and flight engineer Michael Barratt reentered the Russian Pirsairlock and closed its hatch at 8:46 a.m., capping a four-hour,54-minute spacewalk outside the station.

Padalka and Barrattinstalled two antennas that will enable a new Russian Mini ResearchModule to home in on its docking port when it flies up to the stationin mid-November. The spacewalkers also rigged up wire cabling thatelectrically links the antennas with a docking system control stationinside the outpost.


Barratt spent about an hour taking photos of the antennas, a job thatafforded him a lofty view of both the outpost and Earth 220 miles below.

Barrattanchored himself to the end of the station's Strela boom, and Russiancosmonaut Gennady Padalka slowly cranked the telescoping crane out toits maximum length -- 50 feet.

Then Padalka positioned Barrattso that he could take photos of the antennas and cabling. The antennaswere mounted to the forward end of the Russian Zvezda Service Module.


Click to enlarge and save this NASA TV screen grab. Note the faint No.16 in the bottom righthand corner of the shot. It shows the image camefrom Barratt's helmet-cam.

The gold-colored, circular dockingport in the view is where the Mini Research Module will be moored. Theport is located on the zenith side of the forward end of the ServiceModule. Like the Pirs, the Mini Research Module will serve as a dockingport for Soyuz crew transport ships and robotic Progress cargo carriers.

Padalkaand Barratt will perform an internal spacewalk next Wednesday to put adocking cone in the gold port. The job calls for them to work in aunpressurized vestibule so they'll have to don spacesuits to do thework.

Expedition 2 crewmates YuriUsachev and Jim Voss performed a similar "Intravehicular Activity"prior to the arrival of the Pirs docking compartment in 2001.


Click to enlarge and save this NASA TV screen grab. It shows the viewdown the length of the station to the Soyuz spacecraft parked at theaft end of the Service Module. Padalka and Barratt will return to Earthin that Soyuz later this year.

The spacewalk started about anhour late due to trouble with upgraded Orlan MK spacesuits. Themodified Orlans are equipped with new electronic control displaysdesigned to give spacewalkers more insight into the health of suitsystems. Ground controllers noted readings indicative of elevatedcarbon dioxide levels in both the suits. But neither spacewalkerreported any ill effects.

The excursion was the seventh forPadalka and the first for Barratt. Padalka now has tallied 27 hours andthree minutes working outside spacecraft.

It was the 124thspacewalk performed in the assembly and maintenance of the station, thefirst two building blocks of which were linked in orbit in late 1998.

Stationconstruction workers from the U.S., Russia, Japan, Canada, Germany,France and Sweden now have logged 779 hours and 54 minutes ofspacewalking assembly and maintenance work at the outpost.