[sarex] STS-114 MCC Status Report #03

["ARTHUR Z. ROWE" <N1ORC@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/ #31468

STS-114 MCC Status Report #03
Wednesday, July 27, 2005 – 4 p.m. CDT
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

Discovery crewmembers completed a camera survey of the heat shields of 
the leading edges of the orbiter's wings and its nose cone Wednesday. 
They also began preparations for Thursday's docking with the 
International Space Station and the mission’s spacewalks.

Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot Jim Kelly and Mission Specialists Soichi 
Noguchi, Steve Robinson, Andy Thomas, Wendy Lawrence and Charlie Camarda 
downlinked imagery taken of the External Tank after launch. The crew 
also photographed the Orbital Maneuvering System pod tile areas and sent 
down those files. Most of the heat shield survey, taking a close look at 
the reinforced carbon-carbon of Discovery's wings and nose was sent down 
live. The rest was sent down before the crew went to bed about 2:40 p.m. 
CDT.

The data was gathered by the new Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) 
laser-scanner. Kelly, Thomas and Camarda, with some help from other 
crewmembers, operated the Discovery's Canadarm and the 50-foot boom 
extension at its end for the survey. The OBSS was reberthed and Canadarm 
and its cameras were used to survey the tile area around the crew cabin.

Preparations for docking included a checkout of rendezvous tools, and 
the extension of the Orbiter Docking System ring that will make first 
contact with the Station. The approach will include the first Rendezvous 
Pitch Maneuver, a slow back flip by Discovery about 600 feet below the 
Station immediately before the 6:18 a.m. CDT docking.

The maneuver will allow Station Commander Sergei Krikalev and NASA 
Science Officer John Phillips to photograph Discovery's thermal 
protection system with 400mm and 800mm lenses. The images, taken through 
windows in the Station's Zvezda Service Module, are expected to be 
downlinked before hatches between Discovery and the Station are opened.

Today’s imagery and laser scans will be compiled with other imagery 
taken during launch, and with data collected by wireless impact sensors 
in each panel of the wings’ leading edges. Downlink of both preliminary 
and raw data from the sensors also was completed today. A team of about 
200 people across the country are working to analyze imagery from the 
early part of Discovery's mission, the most photographed Shuttle flight 
in history.

The crew also completed the checkout of tools and two spacesuits to be 
used during the mission’s three spacewalks. Two suits were also prepared 
for delivery to the Station for future Quest airlock spacewalks.

The next STS-114 mission status report will be issued after crew wakeup, 
or earlier if events warrant.

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