STS-100 Status Report #12 – 25 Apr 2001 – 4 AM CDT
The Station’s new robotic arm truly will extend the reach of humans in
space today when it hands the 3,000-pound pallet delivering it to space to
the shuttle’s robotic arm for transport back to Earth. The three-hour task
is set to begin about 6 a.m.
While robotic arm operations are underway by Expedition Two crewmembers
Susan Helms and Jim Voss aboard the station, and shuttle crewmembers Chris
Hadfield and Scott Parazynski, the remaining shuttle and station astronauts
and cosmonauts continue the task of unpacking the Raffaello high-tech moving
van. European Space Agency astronaut Umberto Guidoni is overseeing the
unloading of the Italian-built logistics module.
Today’s wakeup call to the crew was “Con te Partiro” (“With You I Will Go”),
sung by Italian opera singer Andre Bochelli. It was played for Guidoni who
is from Italy.
Working at the Robotics Work Station in the Destiny Laboratory, Helms and
Voss will use the new Canadarm2 to maneuver the pallet within reach of
Endeavour’s robotic arm under control of Hadfield and Parazynski. In a
reverse passing of the torch, the new arm will pass the pallet to its older
cousin officially beginning the station arm’s own career in space.
Hadfield and Parazynksi completed connections on the station’s new robotic
arm during the second of two planned spacewalks yesterday. The 7 hour, 40
minute Extravehicular Activity included the connection of power, data and
television cables, which allow the robot arm to operate from a base on the
outside of the Destiny science laboratory.
At about 2:30 today, Endeavour’s Commander Kent Rominger and Pilot Jeff
Ashby will boost the station’s altitude another 2 1/2 miles by firing thruster
jets in a precise sequence for about one hour. With one reboost maneuver
completed several days ago, a third and final identical firing of the
reaction control system jets is planned Thursday.
Both spacecraft are in excellent shape orbiting the Earth every 92 minutes at an altitude of 243 statute miles. The next status report will be issued
late today, or if events warrant.
