Status Report

NASA STS-128 Report #26 10:30 a.m. CDT Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009

By SpaceRef Editor
September 10, 2009
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NASA STS-128 Report #26  10:30 a.m. CDT Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009
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Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

HOUSTON – The astronauts on space shuttle Discovery are ready to wrap up a nearly 13-day flight with a landing this evening at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

This morning’s wakeup song, “Good Day Sunshine” by The Beatles, was played for Pilot Kevin Ford.

The first task for Ford and Commander Rick Sturckow is to make ready for an orbital adjustment engine firing to move Discovery out of the path of a piece of orbital debris. That burn of Discovery’s orbital maneuvering system engines is scheduled for 11:02 a.m. CDT. The maneuver will not alter the scheduled landing opportunities today.

Mission specialists Pat Forrester, Jose Hernandez, Danny Olivas, Christer Fuglesang and Tim Kopra join Sturckow and Ford to begin deorbit preparations about 1 p.m. as they get themselves and their ship ready for the ride home.

The deorbit burn for today’s first landing opportunity today, on orbit 202, is at 4:59 p.m. Discovery would cross above southern Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico, skirt west of Cuba and cross the Florida coast above Sarasota, with landing at Kennedy’s runway 15 at 6:05 p.m.

A second landing opportunity at Kennedy today would put the shuttle and crew on the ground at 7:42 p.m. The weather forecast for both opportunities today calls for a chance of thunderstorms within 30 nautical miles of the Shuttle Landing Facility.

If needed, there are two landing opportunities at Kennedy on Friday. There are two opportunities available at the Edwards Air Force Base in California should the entry flight control team choose to also target the backup landing site Friday.

The next shuttle status report will be issued after landing, at the end of the crew day, or earlier if events warrant.

SpaceRef staff editor.