[sarex] STS-121 MCC Status Report #06

[Arthur Rowe <azrowe80@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

4 a.m. CDT, Friday, July 7, 2006
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

07.07.06
STATUS REPORT: STS-121-06

STS-121 MCC Status Report #06

After a successful docking to the International Space Station Thursday, 
the focus of the STS-121 shuttle mission now turns to unloading more 
than 7,000 lbs of cargo, continued shuttle inspections and preparations 
for the mission’s first spacewalk.

The first task of the day will be the relocation of the Leonardo 
Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) from the shuttle payload bay onto 
the station’s Unity Module. Mission Specialists Lisa Nowak, Stephanie 
Wilson, Mike Fossum and Piers Sellers will use the station robotic arm, 
Canadarm2, to maneuver the module, with help from pilot Mark Kelly.

Once successfully mated to its temporary position on the station, 
shuttle Commander Steve Lindsey and new Expedition 13 Flight Engineer 
Thomas Reiter will conduct leak checks and enter the pressurized cargo 
container. Wilson will lead the transfer activities, which are scheduled 
to continue until next Thursday.

Later, using the shuttle robotic arm and boom system, Kelly, Nowak and 
Wilson will conduct additional inspections of the orbiter’s thermal 
protection system. They will target a few specific areas on the 
shuttle’s nose cap that were missed on the initial scans, as well as two 
gap fillers that appear to be protruding from Discovery’s underside. 
They also intend to get a closer look at a piece of fabric near the 
shuttle nose.

Fossum and Sellers will make preparations for Saturday’s planned 
spacewalk. They will configure tools and the U.S. airlock Quest for the 
spacewalk. They will repair the station's mobile transporter and test 
the capability of the robotic arm boom extension to carry spacewalkers. 
The results of that test will help engineers understand the feasibility 
of using the arm for thermal system inspections and repairs if needed on 
later flights.

The crew has time set aside at the end of the day for a review of the 
spacewalk procedures.

The newly augmented space station crew, including Flight Engineer Jeff 
Williams and Commander Pavel Vinogradov, will work closely with the 
shuttle crew, assisting with transfer activities and robotic arm operations.

Some crewmembers will talk with journalists. Lindsey and Kelly will chat 
in the morning with radio reporters from CBS, Fox, ABC and National 
Public Radio. Toward the end of the day, the Expedition crew will speak 
with CNN, CBS News and the Associated Press.

The space shuttle crew awoke at 2:14 a.m. CDT by the Beatles’ “Good Day 
Sunshine” dedicated to first time spaceflyer Lisa Nowak. The Expedition 
13 crew awoke 30 minutes later with their standard wake up tone.

The next STS-121 mission status report will be issued Friday evening, or 
earlier if events warrant.

- end -
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