Shuttle Crew to Undock from Space Station Tonight

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Shuttle Crew to Undock from Space Station Tonight
The shadow of NASA's space shuttle Endeavour is projected on solar arrays outside the International Space Station on March 23, 2008 during the STS-123 mission. (Image credit: NASA TV.)

HOUSTON -The seven astronauts aboard NASA?s shuttle Endeavour will cast off from theInternational Space Station (ISS) late Monday after a record-long stay at theorbiting laboratory.

Shuttlecommander Dominic Gorie and his crew will undock from the station at 7:56 p.m.EDT (2356 GMT) tonight, wrapping up a packed 12 days of construction to delivera Canadian-built robot and the first module of Japan?s massiveKibo laboratory.

?I sort oflooked at this flight sort of like a college team looking at MarchMadness?every spacewalk was a win, every robotics [operation] was a win,? Gorietold reporters on Earth during a Sunday crew conference. ?We?ve got a greatwinning team.?

Gorie andhis crew launched toward the station on March 11. They are set to landWednesday evening at 7:04 p.m. EDT (2304 GMT) at NASA?s Kennedy Space Center inCape Canaveral, Fla., to complete a record-setting 16-day mission to the ISS.

Station andshuttle astronauts will shut the hatches between their two spacecraft at about5:13 p.m. EDT (2113 GMT) today after a brief farewell ceremony.

?We?ve seensome incredible changes on the station and it?s been a real privilege to behere and see all that,? said the station?s Expedition16 commander Peggy Whitson, adding that she and crewmate Yuri Malenchenkohave welcomed the addition of three new modules in the last five months.

Aconstruction marathon

Endeavourastronauts performed five spacewalks at the ISS, a new record for a single shuttlevisit, to build the Canadian Space Agency?s $209-million Dextre maintenancerobot and install the attic-like Japanese Logistics Pressurized Module thatwill provide storage room for Japan?s main Kibo lab.

?It?s agreat moment, and it?s going to open up a new era for Japan and its space program,?said Japanese astronaut Takao Doi, who installed the Kibo module usingEndeavour?s robotic arm.

The shuttlealso ferried first-time spaceflyer NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman to the ISS tojoin the station?s Expedition 16 crew.

?I guess myonly regret is that I?ve gotten kind of used to hanging out with these guyshere in the blue shirts,? said Reisman, referring to his former shuttlecrewmates. ?I?m going to miss them.?

Reismanwill serve as a station flight engineer until early June and is replacingEuropean Space Agency (ESA) astronautLeopold Eyharts, of France. Eyharts arrived at the ISS in early Februaryduring an earlier shuttle flight and helped deliver, and later commission, thestation?s European-built Columbus laboratory.

?Of course,I would love to stay longer up here on the station, but I think it?s time forme to go back,? Eyharts said Sunday.

BeforeEndeavour pulls away from the space station, pilot Gregory H. Johnson will flythe shuttle around the ISS on a victory lap of sorts while his crewmatesphotograph it from afar.

?I?m justlooking forward to getting to do some hand-flying on the vehicle,? Johnsonsaid, adding that Gorie gave him a few pointers earlier on Sunday. ?Dom is thebest coach I could hope for and I can?t wait to do it in real life.?

NASA isbroadcasting Endeavour's STS-123 mission live on NASA TV. Click here for SPACE.com'sshuttle mission coverage and NASA TV feed.

 

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Tariq Malik
Tariq Malik
Editor-in-Chief

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik.