NASA GIVES ‘GO’ FOR FEB. 7 AS FINAL SPACE SHUTTLE NIGHT LAUNCH

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Space shuttle Endeavour is set to begin a 13-day flight to the International Space Station with a Feb. 7 launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is planned for 4:39 a.m. EST, making this the final scheduled space shuttle night launch.

Endeavour’s launch date was announced Wednesday at the conclusion of a flight readiness review at Kennedy. During the meeting, senior NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle’s equipment, support systems and procedures are ready.

Endeavour’s flight will begin the final year of space shuttle operations. Five shuttle missions are planned in 2010, with the last flight currently targeted for launch in September.

Endeavour’s mission will include three spacewalks and the delivery of the Tranquility node, the final module of the U.S. portion of the space station. Tranquility will provide additional room for crew members and many of the space station’s life support and environmental control systems. Attached to the node is a cupola, which houses a robotic control station and has seven windows to provide a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecraft. After the node and cupola are added, the orbiting laboratory will be about 90 percent complete.

Commander George Zamka and his crew of five astronauts are scheduled to arrive at Kennedy at approximately 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 2, for final launch preparations. Joining Zamka on STS-130 are Pilot Terry Virts and Mission Specialists Kathryn Hire, Stephen Robinson, Nicholas Patrick and Robert Behnken. Virts will be making his first trip to space.

STS-130 will be Endeavour’s 24th mission and the 33rd shuttle flight dedicated to station assembly and maintenance. For more information about STS-130, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis and its crew of seven
astronauts ended an 11-day journey of nearly 4.5 million miles with a
9:44 a.m. EST landing Friday at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in
Florida.

The mission, designated STS-129, included three spacewalks and the
installation of two platforms to the International Space Station’s
truss, or backbone. The platforms hold large spare parts to sustain
station operations after the shuttles are retired. The shuttle crew
delivered about 30,000 pounds of replacement parts for systems that
provide power to the station, keep it from overheating, and maintain
a proper orientation in space.

STS-129 Commander Charlie Hobaugh was joined on Atlantis’ STS-129
mission by Pilot Barry Wilmore and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin,
Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Bobby Satcher. Atlantis returned with
station resident Nicole Stott, who spent 91 days in space. This marks
the final time the shuttle is expected to rotate station crew
members.

A welcome ceremony for the astronauts will be held Monday, Nov. 30, in
Houston. The public is invited to attend the 4 p.m. CST event at
Ellington Field’s NASA Hangar 990. Highlights from the ceremony will
be broadcast on NASA Television’s Video File. For NASA TV downlink
information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

With Atlantis and its crew safely home, the stage is set for launch of
shuttle Endeavour on its STS-130 mission, targeted to begin in
February. Endeavour will deliver a pressurized module, known as
Tranquility, which will provide room for many of the space station’s
life support systems. Attached to the node is a cupola, a robotic
control station with six windows around its sides and another in the
center that provides a 360-degree view around the station.

For more about the STS-129 mission and the upcoming STS-130 flight,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

STS-129 crew members Melvin, Satcher and Stott are providing mission
updates on Twitter. For their Twitter feeds and other NASA social
media Web sites, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/connect

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

The rotating service structure was rolled back Sunday evening revealing space shuttle Atlantis poised for launch. The STS-129 countdown is proceeding smoothly and on schedule. The astronauts will go to sleep around 9 p.m. and awaken at 4:30 a.m. EST.

Also, at 4:30 a.m. Monday morning, the Mission Management Team will meet to give the “go” for tanking of space shuttle Atlantis. Tanking is scheduled to begin at 5 a.m.

Weather remains at 90 percent favorable for an on-time liftoff at 2:28 p.m. Monday afternoon.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s space shuttle Atlantis is targeted to
begin an 11-day flight to the International Space Station with a Nov.
16 launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is
scheduled for 2:28 p.m. EST.

Atlantis’ launch date was announced Thursday at the conclusion of a
flight readiness review at Kennedy. During the meeting, senior NASA
and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the
mission and determined the shuttle’s equipment, support systems and
procedures are ready.

The Nov. 16 target date depends on the planned Nov. 14 launch of an
Atlas V rocket from nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The
Atlas has reserved the Eastern Range on Nov. 14 and 15. If the Atlas
launch is delayed to Nov. 15, the shuttle’s liftoff will move to no
earlier than 2:02 p.m. on Nov. 17.

The STS-129 mission will focus on storing spare hardware on the
exterior of the space station. The flight will include three
spacewalks and install two platforms on the station’s truss, or
backbone. The platforms will hold spare parts to sustain station
operations after the shuttle fleet is retired.

Commander Charlie Hobaugh and his crew of five astronauts are
scheduled to arrive at Kennedy at approximately 5 p.m. on Thursday,
Nov. 12, for final launch preparations. Joining Hobaugh on STS-129
will be Pilot Barry Wilmore and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin,
Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Bobby Satcher. Nicole Stott, an
astronaut who currently resides on the station, will return home with
the Atlantis crew after living in space for more than two months. Her
return on the shuttle is slated to be the final time it is used to
rotate space station crew members.

STS-129 will be Atlantis’ 31st mission and the 31st shuttle flight
dedicated to station assembly and maintenance. For more information
about STS-129, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

Mission Specialist Bobby Satcher, an orthopedic surgeon, now is
sending updates about his training to his Twitter account,
Astro_Bones. He can be followed at:

http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Bones

For more information on the space station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

WASHINGTON — NASA is targeting Nov. 16 for the launch of space shuttle Atlantis’ STS-129 mission from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 4-day delay will accommodate the space agency’s efforts to launch the first Ares I-X mission later this month.

Managers for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate and Exploration Systems Mission Directorate met Monday and decided to adjust Atlantis’ target launch date to optimize the agency’s ability to launch both Ares I-X and Atlantis before the end of the year. The same launch team at Kennedy is supporting both the shuttle and the flight test of the Ares I-X rocket, which is targeted to lift off on Oct. 27. Ares I-X is scheduled to roll out to its launch pad at 12:01 a.m. EDT Tuesday.

Atlantis’ new target launch date will give Ares I-X launch opportunities Oct. 27, 28 and 29. NASA has yet to schedule Atlantis’ new target liftoff date on the Eastern Range.

The change to Atlantis’ targeted launch will affect the launch countdown dress rehearsal for the shuttle’s six astronauts. The astronauts arrived at Kennedy on Monday for the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test and related training. The simulated countdown has been rescheduled to Nov. 3. The astronauts will practice emergency escape and other related training while they are at Kennedy this week and return there Nov. 2 to conclude their rehearsal work.

Atlantis had been targeted for a Nov. 12 liftoff.

The agency’s Flight Readiness Review meeting for STS-129 is set for Oct. 29. NASA will schedule an official launch date for Atlantis following that meeting.

For more information about the STS-129 mission and its crew, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle.

EDWARDS, Calif. — Space shuttle Discovery and its crew of seven astronauts ended a 14-day journey of more than 5.7 million miles with a 5:53 p.m. PDT / 8:53 p.m. EDT landing Friday at Edwards Air Force Base in California. With its characteristic double sonic booms, Discovery touched down on Runway 22L at Edwards at 5:53.25 after almost 14 days in orbit.

The mission, designated STS-128, delivered two refrigerator-sized science racks to the International Space Station. One rack will be used to conduct experiments on materials such as metals, glasses and ceramics. The results from these experiments could lead to the development of better materials on Earth. The other rack will be used for fluid physics research. Understanding how fluids react in microgravity could lead to improved designs for fuel tanks, water systems and other fluid-based systems.

STS-128 Commander Rick Sturckow was joined on the mission by Pilot Kevin Ford, Mission Specialists Pat Forrester, Jose Hernandez, Danny Olivas and European Space Agency astronaut Christer Fuglesang. NASA astronaut Nicole Stott flew to the complex aboard Discovery to begin a nearly three-month mission as a station resident, replacing Tim Kopra, who returned home on Discovery.

Weather concerns prevented the crew from returning to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the primary end-of-mission landing site. In 7-10 days, Discovery will be transported approximately 2,500 miles from California to Florida on the back of a modified 747 jumbo jet. Once at Kennedy, Discovery will be separated from the aircraft to begin processing for its next flight, targeted for March 2010.

In addition to carrying a new station crew member, Discovery and the crew also delivered a new sleeping compartment, an air purification system and a treadmill named after comedian Stephen Colbert. The mission included three spacewalks that replaced experiments outside the European Space Agency’s Columbus laboratory and an empty ammonia storage tank. Ammonia is needed to move excess heat from inside the station to the radiators located outside.

Disney’s toy astronaut Buzz Lightyear also returned from the space station aboard Discovery. He flew to the station in May 2008 on shuttle Discovery’s STS-124 mission and served as the longest tenured “crew member” in space. While on the station, Buzz supported NASA’s education outreach by creating a series of online educational outreach programs.

With Discovery and its crew safely home, the stage is set for the launch of shuttle Atlantis on its STS-129 mission. Atlantis’ liftoff currently is targeted for Nov.12, although shuttle and station teams are assessing Nov. 9 as a potential launch date. The flight will focus on storing important spare hardware on the station’s exterior. The 11-day flight will include three spacewalks and the installation of two platforms to the station’s truss, or backbone. Atlantis also will bring Stott back to Earth.

For more about the STS-128 mission and the upcoming STS-129 flight, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle.

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov.

HOUSTON – Discovery’s heat shield was cleared for landing on Wednesday, and the crew checked out the systems that will be used to control the space shuttle’s return to Earth.

The first landing opportunity is planned for 7:05 p.m. EDT Thursday, but Mission Control is keeping a close watch on weather conditions at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A second opportunity is available on the following orbit at 8:42 p.m.

The forecast shows a frontal boundary meandering up and down the Florida peninsula over the weekend that could cause thunderstorms or winds unfavorable for landing.

Entry Flight Director Richard Jones and his team have elected to focus solely on a landing at Kennedy’s Shuttle Landing Facility runway on Thursday. If Discovery is unable to land in Florida on Thursday, additional landing opportunities may be considered at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on Friday or Saturday.

Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Kevin Ford spent the day preparing the shuttle for re-entry, completing a checkout of the flight control systems and test-firing the shuttle’s reaction control system thrusters.

Mission Specialists Pat Forrester, Jose Hernandez, Danny Olivas and Christer Fuglesang packed up for the return to Earth, and installed a reclining seat that will be used by Mission Specialist Tim Kopra, who is returning home after more than 50 days in space.

All seven crew members answered questions posed by reporters from CBS News, ABC News and CNN on NASA Television.

The shuttle crew ws due to go to sleep about 2 a.m. Thursday. The is scheduled to awaken and begin final landing preparations at 10:59 a.m.

WASHINGTON — Astronomers declared NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope a fully rejuvenated observatory with the release Wednesday of observations from four of its six operating science instruments. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Md., unveiled the images at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

Topping the list of new views are colorful, multi-wavelength pictures of far-flung galaxies, a densely packed star cluster, an eerie “pillar of creation,” and a “butterfly” nebula. Hubble’s suite of new instruments allows it to study the universe across a wide swath of the light spectrum, from ultraviolet all the way to near-infrared. In addition, scientists released spectroscopic observations that slice across billions of light-years to probe the cosmic-web structure of the universe and map the distribution of elements that are fundamental to life as we know it.

“This marks a new beginning for Hubble,” said Ed Weiler, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “The telescope was given an extreme makeover and now is significantly more powerful than ever, well-equipped to last into the next decade.”

“I fought for the Hubble repair mission because Hubble is the people’s telescope,” said Mikulski, chairwoman of the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Subcommittee that funds NASA. “I also fought for Hubble because it constantly rewrites the science textbooks. It has more discoveries than any other science mission. Hubble is our greatest example of our astronauts working together with scientists to show American leadership and ingenuity. I want to salute Team Hubble — everyone who worked on Hubble from the Goddard Space Flight Center and Space Telescope Science Institute scientists in Maryland, to the ground crew at the Kennedy Space Center, to the Johnson Space Center where the astronauts train, and to the astronauts who were heroes in space.”

The new instruments are more sensitive to light and, therefore, will improve Hubble’s observing efficiency significantly. It is able to complete observations in a fraction of the time that was needed with prior generations of Hubble instruments. The space observatory today is significantly more powerful than it ever has been.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled with the quality of the images from the new Wide Field Camera 3 and repaired Advanced Camera for Surveys, and the spectra from the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph,” said Keith Noll, leader of a team at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, which planned the early release observations. “The targets we’ve selected to showcase the telescope reveal the great range of capabilities in our newly upgraded Hubble.”

These results are compelling evidence of the success of the STS-125 servicing mission in May, which has brought the space observatory to the apex of its scientific performance. Two new instruments, the Wide Field Camera 3 and Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, were installed, and two others, the Advanced Camera for Surveys and Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph, were repaired at the circuit board level. Mission scientists also announced Wednesday that the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer was brought back into operation during the three months of calibration and testing.

“On this mission we wanted to replenish the ‘tool kit’ of Hubble instruments on which scientists around the world rely to carry out their cutting-edge research,” said David Leckrone, senior project scientist for Hubble at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. “Prior to this servicing mission, we had only three unique instrument channels still working, and today we have 13. I’m very proud to be able to say, ‘mission accomplished.’ ”

For the past three months, scientists and engineers at the Space Telescope Science Institute and Goddard have been focusing, testing, and calibrating the instruments. Hubble is one of the most complex space telescopes ever launched, and the Hubble servicing mission astronauts performed major surgery on the 19-year-old observatory’s multiple systems. This orbital verification phase was interrupted briefly July 19 to observe Jupiter in the aftermath of a collision with a suspected comet.

Hubble now enters a phase of full science observations. The demand for observing time will be intense. Observations will range from studying the population of Kuiper Belt objects at the fringe of our solar system to surveying the birth of planets around other stars and probing the composition and structure of extrasolar planet atmospheres. There are ambitious plans to take the deepest-ever near-infrared portrait of the universe to reveal never-before-seen infant galaxies that existed when the universe was less than 500 million years old. Other planned observations will attempt to shed light on the behavior of dark energy, a repulsive force that is pushing the universe apart at an ever-faster rate.

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. Goddard manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute conducts Hubble science operations. The institute is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy Inc. in Washington, and is an International Year of Astronomy 2009 program partner.

For images and more information about the Hubble Space Telescope, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/hubble.

NASA will unveil the first images from the newly refurbished Hubble Space Telescope at 11 a.m. EDT today. NASA Television and the agency’s Web site will provide live coverage from NASA Headquarters in Washington.

Space shuttle Atlantis’ STS-125 mission upgraded the telescope in May with state-of-the-art science instruments, leaving it more powerful than ever and extending its life into the next decade.

Charlie Bolden, NASA administrator and pilot of space shuttle Discovery on the STS-31 mission that launched Hubble in 1990, will join U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Md., in the unveiling of the Hubble images during the 11 a.m. briefing. A panel of scientists then will discuss Hubble’s new and refurbished instruments and the images they produced.

A second briefing — in which the STS-125 astronauts will discuss how they enabled Hubble’s new capabilities during their historic servicing mission — immediately follows at noon.

Scott Altman commanded Atlantis’ crew, which included Pilot Gregory C. Johnson and Mission Specialists Andrew Feustel, Michael Good, John Grunsfeld, Megan McArthur and Mike Massimino.

With eight days of joint operations between the spacecraft complete, astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station and space shuttle Discovery have bid each other farewell and closed the hatches between them at 11:41 p.m. EDT on Monday and undocked on Tuesday afternoon at 3:26 p.m..

Prior to undocking, the crews completed the last major activity of the joint operation. They exited the Leonardo Multi-purpose Logistics Module, deactivated it and returned it to Discovery’s cargo bay using the station’s robotic arm. Pilot Kevin Ford and Mission Specialist Jose Hernandez operated the arm.

Leonardo is carrying about 2,400 pounds of equipment back to Earth. Discovery’s middeck is transporting about 860 pounds of return items.

Also returning to Earth aboard Discovery, Mission Specialist Tim Kopra bid his Expedition 20 crew mates farewell. Flight Engineer Nicole Stott has taken his place as a long-duration crew member aboard the station.

On Wednesday, space shuttle Discovery’s crew will peform the Flight Control System checkout and the Reaction Control System hot-fire. Landing is scheduled for Thursday at 7:05 p.m. EDT at Kennedy Space Center.

The STS-128 crew completed all its major objectives including three spacewalks, transferring 17,000 pounds of cargo and delivery of three major research facilities.