Herrington

Lockhart

Lopez-Alegria

Wetherbee

---

STS-113

24 November 2002 00:49 GMT. Landing Date: 2002-12-07 19:36:00 PM. Flight Time: 13.78 days. Other Name: ISS-11A. Flight Up: STS-113. Flight Back: STS-113. Call Sign: Endeavour. Crew: Herrington, Lockhart, Lopez-Alegria, Wetherbee. Program: ISS.

What went wrong: Four attempts to land on consecutive days, called because of bad weather. ISS assembly mission ISS-11A delayed from August 22, September 6, 19, October 6, November 2, 10, 11, 19 and 23 due to SSME problems and then damage to the Shuttle's manipulator arm. Shuttle mission STS-113 carried a crew of seven astronauts (six American and one Russian) and a 13.7-m truss of 12.5 tons to the International Space Station (ISS). During several hours of EVA, the crew installed and secured the truss assembly. The truss was to provide structural support for the station's thermal control radiators, and brought the total mass of the ISS to over 200 tons. Prior to leaving the ISS, the shuttle released a pair of tethered (15-m long) picosatellites. It was to leave the ISS on December 2.

Crew Members: Commander Jim Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart, Mission Specialists Michael Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington.

STS-113

Launch Highlights

The earlier planned launch on Nov. 11 was postponed when higher than allowable oxygen levels were detected in the orbiter's mid-body. Launch was tentatively set for no earlier than Nov. 18 so that technicians could troubleshoot and repair the leak. A fatigued flexible hose was found to be the cause and was replaced, along with another similar hose.

Another problem surfaced when a platform used to access the oxygen line bumped the robotic arm in the payload bay. Inspections of the arm for damage postponed launch until Nov.

The launch was again postponed 24 hours to Nov. 23 due to poor weather conditions at the Transoceanic Abort Landing sites.

Mission Highlights

Over the course of the 14-day mission, the STS-113 crew and the Expedition Six crew combined to install the new P1 truss to the International Space Station, perform three spacewalks to outfit and activate the truss, and transfer supplies and equipment between the two spacecraft. Endeavour brought more than 2,500 pounds of material to the station.

Among the transfer were science experiments, the PCG-STES and PGBA returning to Earth and the PCG-STES Unit 10 moving onto the station.

While Endeavour was docked to the space station, Expedition 5 NASA Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Expedition 6 Commander Ken Bowersox replaced two valves and cleared debris from vent lines of the Carbon Dioxide Removal Asembly (CDRA) in the station's U.S. Destiny Laboratory.

Prior to the first spacewalk, Commander Jim Wetherbee removed the P1 truss from Endeavour's payload bay, using the shuttle's robotic arm, and handed it off to the station's Canadarm2. Whitson and Bowersox maneuvered the P1 to its installation position.

EVA No. 1: 6 hours, 45 minutes -- Mission Specialists Michael Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington hooked up electrical connections between the P1 truss and station, installed spool positioning devices that will ensure quick disconnect devices in fluid lines function properly, and released launch locks on the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) cart. They also installed Node Wireless video system External Transceiver Assembly (WETA) antennas allowing reception from spacewalkers' helmet cameras without a shuttle present.

EVA No. 2: 6 hours, 10 minutes -- On Thanksgiving Day, Lopez-Alegria and Herrington connected two fluid jumpers between the P1 and S0 trusses, linking plumbing for ammonia in the station's cooling system. They removed the starboard keel pin, moving it to the proper location and stowing it in the P1 truss. They also installed a second WETA, this one on the P1 truss. They released launch locks on the P1 radiator beams.

STS-113 Credit- www.spacefacts.de

Working from the Canadarm2, Herrington lifted the CETA cart to the S1 truss where he attached it to the tracks and secured it to its sister CETA, delivered on STS-112. The move cleared the P1 tracks so the Canadarm 2 can move on them via the Mobile Transporter and Mobile Base System.

A final task was reconnecting a cable on the WETA installed 2 days earlier.

EVA No. 3: 7 hours -- Herrington and Lopez-Alegria successfully completed installation of 33 spool positioning devices around the outside of the station. Herrington also troubleshooted the stalled railcar (Mobile Transporter). He freed and deployed a UHF communications antenna that had snagged a trailing umbilical mechanism on the MT. The MT was able to reach its destination, Worksite 7. Herrington completed his assigned tasks without using the Canadarm2, which was to have transferred from the U.S. Lab to the MT to maneuver Herrington through some of his tasks.

During the mission, Whitson and Flight Engineer Donald Pettit did troubleshooting on the Microgravity Science Glovebox on the station. The device, which provides electrical power to the facility, had failed November 20. The MSG allows experiments with fluids, flame, particles or fumes to be performed in an enclosed environment. The box was returned to Earth for further study.

Cargo Bay Manifest:

• Bay 1-2: Orbiter Docking System - 1800 kg + 2 EMU spacesuits - 240 kg
• Bay 3S: MEPSI - 8 kg
• Bay 3-13: P1 Integrated Truss Segment - 12193 kg + CETA Cart B - 283 kg
• Sill: RMS - 410 kg
• Total: 14934 kg

The OMS engines fired for an OMS assist burn during the early part of the ascent to orbit. A valve in the right OMS engine did not completely open during the burn, and it was decided to use only the left OMS engine for later burns in orbit. The orbiter was placed in an initial 59 x 232 km x 51.6 deg orbit. At 01:27 GMT Endeavour reached apogee and fired the left OMS engine for 5 minutes to raise its perigee. Endeavour docked with the International Space Station on November 25 at 21:59 GMT. The Orbiter RMS grappled the P1 truss in its cargo bay at 15:01 GMT on November 26 and unberthed it at 15:22 GMT. The Station SSRMS grappled P1 at 16:41 GMT and the Orbiter RMS released it at 16:50 GMT, completing the first robot arm handover of a station segment. The SSRMS moved P1 to the end of the S0 truss and connected it between 18:36 and 18:48 GMT. After three days of mission extensions due to poor landing weather in Florida, STS-113 returned to a landing at Kennedy Space Center on 7 December 2002 at 19:36 GMT.

Following the grounding of the shuttle fleet after the Columbia disaster, Soyuz TMA-1 became the lifeboat for return of the EO-6 crew of Bowersox, Budarin, and Pettit. Following the arrival of the EO-7 skeleton crew to keep the station in operation, the EO-6 crew readied the TMA-1 for landing. They undocked from the ISS at 22:40 GMT on 2 May. This marked the first return of American astronauts in a Soyuz capsule (though several had ridden Soyuz capsules to the Mir station). During the re-entry, the first for the Soyuz TMA-1 model, the guidance failed and the capsule reverted to a rolling ballistic re-entry. This subjected the crew to over 8 G's during re-entry, as opposed to the 3 G's of a normal Soyuz lifting re-entry. It also resulted in a landing 460 km short of the target, and a delay of over two hours before recovery forces arrived at the capsule.

• 2002 Nov 24 - STS-113  Crew: Wetherbee, Lockhart, Lopez-Alegria, Herrington, Bowersox, Budarin, Pettit. Spacecraft: Endeavour. Payload: Endeavour F19 / P1. Mass: 115,000 kg (253,000 lb). Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Shuttle. Duration: 13.78 days. Perigee: 379 km (235 mi). Apogee: 397 km (246 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 92.30 min.

  ISS assembly mission ISS-11A delayed from August 22, September 6, 19, October 6, November 2, 10, 11, 19 and 23 due to SSME problems and then damage to the Shuttle's manipulator arm. Shuttle mission STS-113 carried a crew of seven astronauts (six American and one Russian) and a 13.7-m truss of 12.5 tons to the International Space Station (ISS). During several hours of EVA, the crew installed and secured the truss assembly. The truss was to provide structural support for the station's thermal control radiators, and brought the total mass of the ISS to over 200 tons. Prior to leaving the ISS, the shuttle released a pair of tethered (15-m long) picosatellites. It was to leave the ISS on December 2.

• 2002 Nov 24 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #02 

  Endeavour's crew was awakened at 8:50 a.m. today to begin its first full day in orbit, a day dedicated to preparations for Monday's docking to the International Space Station. As the crew awoke, Endeavour and the station were separated by about 2,700 miles, with Endeavour slightly below and behind the ISS.

  Onboard the station, the Expedition Five crew, Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev, awakened at 7:45 a.m. to continue preparations for the arrival of Endeavour, and their replacement crew.

  In preparation for Monday's docking, Endeavour's crew - Commander Jim Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart, Mission Specialists Mike Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington, and the Expedition Six crew Commander Ken Bowersox, NASA ISS science officer Don Pettit and flight engineer Nikolai Budarin - will verify operation of the equipment used during docking. The centerline camera will be installed in the docking system, the orbiter docking system ring will be extended and a variety of handheld cameras and distance-measuring devices will be checked out. In addition, Lopez-Alegria and Herrington will inspect and checkout the spacesuits they will wear during three scheduled spacewalks to install and outfit the P1 truss segment.

  Monday's docking to the International Space Station is scheduled to occur about 3:26 p.m. central time and sets the stage for those three spacewalks to be conducted over a period of five days. The P1 truss is the third such segment to be launched this year, one of 11 truss segments that will form the structural backbone of the station. The trusses will also provide cooling and support for new solar arrays, which will be delivered to the station next year.

  At 6:55 p.m., Bowersox, Budarin and Pettit will talk with reporters from USA Today and AP Radio News. The trio will become the sixth resident crew to live and work in space aboard the International Space Station, replacing the current Expedition Five residents who are beginning their 173rd day in space today.

• 2002 Nov 24 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #03 

  Endeavour's crew spent its first full day in space preparing for its arrival at the International Space Station. Endeavour, now 1,400 miles behind the station and closing, is scheduled to dock at 3:26 p.m. Central time Monday.

  In preparation for Monday's docking, Endeavour's crew - Commander Jim Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart, Mission Specialists Mike Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington, and the Expedition Six crew Commander Ken Bowersox, NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit and flight engineer Nikolai Budarin - verified operation of the equipment used to support a smooth rendezvous and soft docking. A camera was installed to give Wetherbee a view of the station's docking port through the shuttle's docking system, a shock-absorbing ring that will make the first contact was extended and a variety of handheld cameras and distance-measuring devices were checked out. In addition, Lopez-Alegria and Herrington inspected and checked out the spacesuits being delivered to the station for use on three spacewalks to install and outfit the P1 truss segment.

  Checkout of the shuttle's Remote Manipulator System went smoothly today, but the robotic arm camera survey of Endeavour's payload bay ran a little longer than expected. The robotic arm's wrist roll joint was commanded in extra maneuvers to help work in lubrication that was applied during the arm's preflight servicing. The robotic arm is ready to support operations to remove Endeavour's primary cargo, the P1 or port truss, from the payload bay on Tuesday.

  Also today, Bowersox, Budarin and Pettit spoke with reporters from USA Today and AP Radio News. The trio will become the sixth resident crew to live and work in space aboard the International Space Station, replacing the current Expedition Five residents.

  Onboard the station, the Expedition Five crew, Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev, continued preparations for the arrival of Endeavour, and their replacement crew.

  Endeavour's crew is scheduled to go to sleep about 11:20 p.m. Central time and awaken about 7:20 a.m. Monday.

• 2002 Nov 25 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #04 

  The crew of Endeavour awakened at 7:29 a.m. to begin final preparations for this afternoon's docking with the International Space Station. Endeavour is now 350 miles behind the space station closing the distance between them at the rate of about 130 miles every orbit. Docking is slated to occur at 3:26 p.m. central time today with the two spacecraft high over the Kazakh/Uzbekistan border.

  Onboard the space station, the Expedition Five crew - Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev - awakened at 7:50 a.m. to continue preparations for the arrival of their latest guests, including their replacement crew.

  After hatch opening and a safety briefing conducted by Korzun, the two crews will begin transferring supplies and equipment that will be needed during the three upcoming spacewalks, as well as the Expedition Six seat liners and reentry suits for the Soyuz spacecraft. The Soyuz serves as a lifeboat for the station, enabling a crew to come home quickly in the event of an emergency. Each crewmember has their own custom-fitted seat liner to cushion the effects of a Soyuz landing. The official exchange of resident crews aboard the station will be complete once the Expedition Six crew has transferred its seatliners to the Soyuz spacecraft and the Expedition Five crew transfers its seatliners over to Endeavour for the return trip home.

  Over the next seven days, the astronauts and cosmonauts will work together to attach another truss to the space station, the Port 1 (P1) truss, and complete the changeover between the Expedition Five and Six crews. The first of three spacewalks to install and outfit the truss is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, to be conducted by Mission Specialists Mike Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington.

  Endeavour's crew - Commander Jim Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart, Mission Specialists Lopez-Alegria and Herrington, and the Expedition Six crew Commander Ken Bowersox, NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit and Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin - will begin rendezvous operations around 10:35 a.m. The final approach phase of the docking is scheduled to begin about 1 p.m. with hatch opening between the two spacecraft scheduled to occur at 4:45 p.m.

• 2002 Nov 25 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #05 

  Endeavour docked with the International Space Station at 3:59 CST this afternoon, bringing a new crew and another segment of the station's backbone, the Port One (P1) segment of the Integrated Truss System.

  The rendezvous and docking of Endeavour with shuttle Commander Jim Wetherbee at the controls went smoothly. Docking occurred about 248 statute miles above the South Pacific off the southeastern coast of Australia.

  After successful leak checks, the last hatch between the two spacecraft was opened at 5:31 p.m. The Expedition 5 crew - Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev - welcomed the new arrivals to the orbiting laboratory to begin a week of docked operations. After greetings, the first item on the agenda was a safety briefing by Korzun.

  Expedition 6 Commander Ken Bowersox, NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit and Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin later installed their custom seatliners in the Soyuz spacecraft that could serve as a return vehicle in the unlikely event it became necessary to leave the station unexpectedly. Their call saying they had completed the installation and pressure checks of the Russian SOKOL re-entry suits made them station crewmembers. It also officially ended the Expedition 5 increment, after 171 days, 3 hours and 33 minutes.

  Expedition 5 was launched last June 5 and has been on the station since June 7. The trio will return to Earth with the Endeavour crew, Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart, Mission Specialists Michael Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington.

  During the week together at the station, Expedition 5 crewmembers will conduct extensive briefings for their successors, familiarizing them with their new home and the location and function of its equipment and experiments. They also will brief the Expedition 6 crew on the inventory and location of supplies aboard the station.

  On Tuesday the shuttle and station crews will lift the new P1 truss segment from Endeavour's cargo bay with the shuttle's robotic arm, operated by Wetherbee. He will hand the P1 off to the Canadarm2, the station's arm, which Bowersox and Whitson will use to position it for installation.

  Once remotely operated bolts have secured P1 to the S0 truss center, Lopez-Alegria and Herrington will begin the first of three spacewalks to make electrical, fluid and data connections between it and the rest of the station and to outfit the new truss segment.

  Subsequent spacewalks will be made Thursday and Saturday. Each of the three spacewalks will be about 61/2 hours long.

• 2002 Nov 26 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #06 

  The crew of Endeavour was awakened at 7:26 a.m. to begin a day that will see the installation of the Port One (P1) truss onto the International Space Station. The P1 is the third such truss to be installed on the station this year and is one of 11 truss segments that will make up the station's final Integrated Truss Structure.

  Beginning around 9:20 a.m., Endeavour Commander Jim Wetherbee will use the shuttle's robotic arm to lift the P1 truss from the cargo bay, then hand it off to the station's robotic arm. Expedition Six Commander Ken Bowersox and Expedition Five NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson will fly the station's robotic arm. Bowersox and Whitson will position the P1 for installation around 1 p.m.

  About 2:20 p.m., after remotely-operated bolts have secured the P1 truss to the station's central Starboard Zero (S0) truss segment. Mission Specialists Michael Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington will exit the station's Quest airlock to begin the first of the mission's three spacewalks. Lopez-Alegria will start by making connections between the P1 and the S0 while Herrington releases launch restraints on the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid cart. Lopez-Alegria also will install Spool Positioning Devices onto the station. Both spacewalkers will then remove a drag link on the P1 that served as a launch restraint.

  The final major task of the 61/2-hour spacewalk is the installation by both spacewalkers of a Wireless video system External Transceiver Assembly (WETA) onto the Unity module. The WETA will be used to support helmet camera communications from future spacewalkers.

  Endeavour Pilot Paul Lockhart will coordinate the spacewalk from the flight deck of the shuttle. During the spacewalk, the Expedition Five crew - Commander Valery Korzun, Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev - will continue handover discussions with the Expedition Six crew - Bowersox, NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit and Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin.

• 2002 Nov 26 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #07 

  Endeavour and International Space Station crewmembers completed a smooth installation of the Port One (P1) truss and a spacewalk to hook up connections between P1 and the rest of the station. The spacewalk, by Mission Specialists Michael Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington successfully completed scheduled tasks.

  P1 was removed from Endeavour's payload bay at 9:22 a.m. CST by the shuttle's robotic arm, operated by Commander Jim Wetherbee. He handed it off to the station's Canadarm2, operated by Expedition 6 commander Ken Bowersox and Expedition 5 NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson, and released the shuttle arm's grip on P1 a little before 11 a.m. Whitson and Bowersox maneuvered the 14-ton, 45-foot truss segment to its installation position.

  P1 is the third segment of the Integrated Truss Structure to be installed this year. A fourth segment, the P6 truss, supports the 240-foot-long solar arrays atop the station. It was installed there in December 2000 and will be moved later to the left end of the station's backbone. At completion, the integrated truss will consist of 11 segments stretching the length of a football field.

  The spacewalk began at 1:49 p.m., about 30 minutes earlier than planned, after the four bolts securing the P1 to the S0 truss centerpiece had been driven home by remote commands. The spacewalk ended a little before 8:35 p.m. for a total time of 6 hours and 45 minutes.

  Herrington and Lopez-Alegria hooked up electrical connections between P1 and the station, installed spool positioning devices designed to ensure that quick disconnect devices in fluid lines will function properly, and released launch locks securing the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) cart, a kind of hand car for the truss railway. The two spacewalkers also removed two drag links, large metal rods that had supported P1 during launch, and stowed them in the P1 framework. Finally, after Herrington had topped off his oxygen supply in the airlock, they installed Node Wireless video system External Transceiver Assembly (WETA) antennas allowing reception from spacewalkers' helmet cameras without a shuttle present.

  Endeavour Pilot Paul Lockhart, with help from Bowersox and Expedition 6 Science Officer Don Pettit, served as intravehicular officer during the spacewalk, coaching Lopez-Alegria and Herrington through their tasks and keeping them on the timeline.

  The spacewalk was the 22nd station-based spacewalk, and brought the total time for space station spacewalks to 292 hours, 10 minutes. There have been 25 shuttle-based assembly spacewalks.

  Lopez-Alegria, wearing the spacesuit with red stripes, and Herrington, in the all-white spacesuit, will conduct two more spacewalks, each scheduled for 61/2 hours, on Thursday and Saturday. Both will focus on making additional connections between the new truss segment and the station, and outfitting the P1.

  Expedition 5 Commander Valery Korzun, Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev conducted handover discussions with their Expedition 6 successors, Bowersox, Pettit and Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin, during parts of the Tuesday spacewalk.

• 2002 Nov 27 - EVA STS-113-1  Crew: Lopez-Alegria, Herrington. EVA Type: Extra-Vehicular Activity. EVA Duration: 0.28 days.

  The first spacewalk for installation of the P1 truss began at 1947 UTC. The astronauts emerged from the Quest module, attached the P1/S0 umbilicals, removed the P1 drag links and the CETA-B cart's launch restraints. They also installed more SPD disconnects on the ammonia lines, and attached a TV camera to the truss.

• 2002 Nov 27 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #08 

  Endeavour's crew today will focus its efforts on transferring supplies and equipment to the International Space Station that will be used by the station's Expedition Six crew during their four-month stay aboard the complex. The station and shuttle crew members also will move supplies, equipment and completed experiments that were used by the Expedition Five crew to the shuttle for return to Earth.

  In the afternoon, Endeavour's crew - Commander Jim Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart and Mission Specialists Michael Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington - will take time to prepare for the second spacewalk of the mission, scheduled for Thanksgiving Day. The second spacewalk will focus on making additional connections between the new Port 1 (P1) truss segment and the station and outfitting the P1 for future use.

  The Expedition Five and Six crews also will continue handover discussions and training as Expedition Six - Commander Ken Bowersox, NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit and Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin - begins their stay. Expedition Five - Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev -- is completing six months in orbit as they prepare to return home.

  Wetherbee, Lockhart, Lopez-Alegria and Herrington will take a break from their moving duties at about 2:30 p.m. CST for interviews with KFOR-TV of Oklahoma City, OK; the Chickasaw Times newspaper; and the Cedena Ser radio network.

  This morning, Mission Control radioed up birthday greetings to Wetherbee, who is celebrating his 50th birthday in orbit today.

  The crew of Endeavour was awakened at 7:20 a.m. and the Expedition Six crew was awakened at 7:50 a.m. The shuttle and station remain in excellent condition.

• 2002 Nov 27 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #09 

  Endeavour and International Space Station crewmembers worked today to transfer equipment and supplies between their docked spacecraft. Expedition 5 crewmembers exchanged notes with their Expedition 6 successors and mission specialists Michael Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington prepared for a Thanksgiving Day spacewalk.

  The transfer of items between the two spacecraft is going smoothly, as are the handover briefings for Expedition 6 Commander Ken Bowersox, Cosmonaut Nikolai Budarin and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit. Expedition 5 Commander Valery Korzun, NASA Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev are familiarizing the new arrivals with station systems and procedure, and discussing the location of equipment and supplies on the ISS.

  This afternoon, Whitson and Bowersox replaced two valves and cleared debris from vent lines of the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) in the station's U.S. Destiny laboratory. The job was completed about 8 p.m. CST. Later Mission Control radioed them that the valve replacement had been successful, but that there was a leak in one of the CDRA vacuum lines. Whitson and Bowersox began efforts to find and fix that leak late today. CDRA had not been working well for the past several weeks. A Russian system cleanses the station atmosphere of the carbon dioxide exhaled by the normal three-person crew, but CDRA is needed to handle the load of larger crews.

  NBC's Jay Leno wished Endeavour Commander Jim Wetherbee a happy 50th birthday. The good wishes were videotaped during Leno's show and transmitted to Endeavour via Houston's Mission Control Center.

  This afternoon Wetherbee, Endeavour Pilot Paul Lockhart, Lopez-Alegria and Herrington talked with reporters from KFOR-TV of Oklahoma City, Okla., the Chickasaw Times newspaper; and the Cadena Ser radio network of Spain. The radio network spoke with Lopez-Alegria in Spanish.

  Endeavour performed the first of three scheduled reboosts of the station a little after 11 a.m., increasing the altitude of the orbiting laboratory by about 2.8 statute miles. That left the average altitude of the station and Endeavour at almost 244 statute miles. Subsequent reboosts are scheduled for Friday and Sunday.

  Thursday's second of three STS-113 spacewalks will see Lopez-Alegria and Herrington make more electrical, data and fluid line connections for the new Port One (P1) truss segment, install a second wireless video antenna system and move a Crew Equipment Translation Aid railway handcar from the P1 to the S1 truss. P1 was installed just before the Tuesday spacewalk. Thursday's and Saturday's spacewalks each will last about 61/2 hours.

  Thanksgiving travel is being taken to new heights by Endeavour and ISS crewmembers. They will log about 1.68 million miles during the four-day weekend, with no weather or traffic delays, no airport security problems and certainly no crowds. Their vehicles' mileage over just those four days is excellent -- almost unlimited. Lopez-Alegria and Herrington are scheduled to travel about 227,500 Thanksgiving weekend miles outside the ISS-Endeavour complex during their two spacewalks.

• 2002 Nov 28 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #10 

  A Thanksgiving Day spacewalk will highlight activities aboard Endeavour and the International Space Station today.

  Endeavour Mission Specialists Mike Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington will exit the station's Quest airlock for a second time during this mission to begin a 61/2-hour spacewalk. Scheduled to begin about 1:20 p.m. central time, the work outside the station today will see Lopez-Alegria and Herrington connect fluid lines from the new Port One (P1) truss segment to the Starboard Zero (S0) truss; install a second wireless video antenna system to the P1; relocate stanchions that were used to hold the P1 in place during launch; and move a Crew Equipment Translation Aid railway handcar from the P1 to the Starboard One (S1) truss.

  Endeavour Pilot Paul Lockhart will coordinate the spacewalk from the orbiter's flight deck and Endeavour Commander Jim Wetherbee will provide photo and TV support. From the ISS, Expedition Five NASA Science Officer Peggy Whitson will provide robotic arm support using the station's Canadarm2, and will be assisted by Expedition Six NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit.

  Expedition Five Commander Valery Korzun, Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev will also continue their handover and training briefings for Expedition Six Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and Pettit.

  Whitson and Bowersox will take some time today to test the station's bicycle ergometer, which experienced some trouble over the weekend. In addition to being used for exercise, it is used as part of a pre-spacewalk protocol to purge nitrogen from crewmembers' bodies. Testing of the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly in the station's Destiny laboratory continued overnight and showed that maintenance work performed by the crew on Wednesday had resolved a faulty valve problem with the system.

• 2002 Nov 28 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #11 

  Endeavour astronauts Michael Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington completed the second of three spacewalks of the STS-113 mission, accomplishing all their scheduled tasks on the International Space Station's new Port One (P1) truss and doing two additional jobs during the 6-hour, 10-minute outing.

  The Thanksgiving Day spacewalk started at 12:36 p.m. CST, almost 45 minutes ahead of schedule, and ended officially at 6:46 p.m.

  Lopez-Alegria and Herrington were helped by intravehicular officer Paul Lockhart, Endeavour's pilot, who coached them through their activities from the shuttle's aft flight deck. Expedition 5 NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson, with help from her Expedition 6 successor Don Pettit, operated the station's Canadarm 2. Endeavour Commander Jim Wetherbee did photo and TV documentation.

  The first task for Lopez-Alegria, wearing the spacesuit with red stripes, and Herrington, in the all-white spacesuit, was connection of two fluid jumpers between P1 and the Starboard Zero (S0) truss centerpiece. The jumpers link plumbing for ammonia in the station's cooling system. Next the spacewalkers removed the starboard keel pin, a launch support, and using the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid - one of two handcar-like devices on the truss railway - moved it to the proper location and stowed it in the P1 truss structure.

  Lopez-Alegria and Herrington installed a second Wireless video system External Transceiver Assembly (WETA), this one on the P1 truss. They had installed the first WETA on the station's Unity Node during their Tuesday spacewalk. After removal and stowage of the port keel pin, they did the first of the additional jobs, releasing launch locks on the P1's radiator beams. Then they turned their attention to relocation of the CETA cart.

  Herrington, in a foot restraint on Canadarm2, lifted the cart from its tracks and held it while Whitson swung him and his cargo around the front of the station, past Endeavour's cargo bay and to the Starboard One (S1), where he attached the cart to tracks and secured it to its sister CETA, launched with the S1 truss on Atlantis' STS-112 flight in October. The relocation was done to clear the P1 tracks for the Canadarm2 to move along them on its Mobile Transporter and Mobile Base System.

  The CETA move accomplished, the two spacewalkers moved on to the second additional task, reconnection of one of the cables on the WETA installed Tuesday. Both extra jobs took about 20 minutes.

  The oxygen prebreathe protocol before today's spacewak to purge nitrogen from spacewalkers' bloodstreams, was done on the shuttle's cycle ergometer. Whitson and Expedition 6 Commander Ken Bowersox checked out the station's cycle ergometer with a newly uplinked procedure to use it in manual mode.

  Expedition 5 Commander Valery Korzun, Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev continued their handover briefings for Bowersox, cosmonaut Nikolai Budarin and Pettit. Transfer of equipment and supplies between the station and shuttle also continued.

  The Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) is functioning well. Whitson and Bowersox replaced two valves and cleaned airlines on the device on Wednesday, and later that evening they repaired a leak in a CDRA vacuum line.

• 2002 Nov 29 - EVA STS-113-2  Crew: Lopez-Alegria, Herrington. EVA Type: Extra-Vehicular Activity. EVA Duration: 0.26 days.

  The astronauts emerged from the Quest module at about 1845 UTC. They removed P1 keel pins and installed TV cameras, and moved the CETA-2 cart from P1 to S1.

• 2002 Nov 29 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #12 

  With the Expedition Six crewmembers settling into their new on-orbit home, today's activities largely will focus on continuing transfer of equipment, experiments and hardware, and a formal Change of Command ceremony between resident crews on board the International Space Station.

  Among the items to be transferred today are various science experiments, two returning home aboard Endeavour and one moving to the station. This morning, Mission Specialist Mike Lopez-Alegria and Expedition Five NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson will transfer the Protein Crystal Growth Single Thermal Enclosure System (PCG-STES) - Unit 7 to Endeavour, while Expedition Six Commander Ken Bowersox will transfer PCG-STES Unit 10 from the shuttle to the station. This afternoon, Lopez-Alegria and Expedition Six NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit will transfer the Plant Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (PGBA) to Endeavour. Plants grown while on orbit will be studied by researchers on the ground.

  Whitson and Pettit will also spend some time today troubleshooting the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) on board the station. The MSG recently developed a problem with its power distribution and conversion box - the device that provides electrical power to the facility.

  To date, NASA has conducted more than 90,000 hours of scientific research aboard the station and the Expedition Six crew is scheduled to conduct 18 new or continuing experiments.

  About 11 a.m., Commander Jim Wetherbee will fire Endeavour's small thruster jets to gently raise the altitude of the station by slightly less than one mile. Late today, Pilot Paul Lockhart, Mission Specialist John Herrington, Lopez-Alegria, Whitson, Bowersox and Pettit will take time to review plans for Saturday's third and final scheduled spacewalk of the mission.

  A formal Change of Command ceremony between the Expedition Five and Six crews is scheduled for 2:20 p.m., but may occur earlier. The full crews also will gather for a joint crew news conference beginning at 3:49 p.m. central time.

• 2002 Nov 29 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #13 

  Transfer of equipment and supplies from Endeavour's middeck to the International Space Station passed the 1,700-pound mark today, with about 75 percent of the total material from the shuttle now aboard the orbiting laboratory. More than 750 pounds of material has been moved from the station to Endeavour's crew compartment.

  Handover briefings of the Expedition 6 crew, Commander Ken Bowersox, cosmonaut Nikolai Budarin and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit, by their Expedition 5 predecessors, Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and cosmonaut Sergei Treschev, continued. The briefings focus on procedures aboard the ISS, science and the location of equipment and supplies.

  This afternoon Korzun ceremonially handed over the reigns of the station to Bowersox. Expedition 6 has been the official station crew since Monday when they installed their custom seat liners in the Soyuz spacecraft attached to the station. Later in the afternoon the 10 astronauts and cosmonauts held their crew news conference, fielding questions from reporters at Johnson Space Center and Kennedy Space Center.

  Endeavour commander Jim Wetherbee initiated a series of shuttle thruster firings which boosted the altitude of the International Space Station by about eight-tenths of a mile this morning. The reboost left the station at an average altitude of more than 244 statute miles. It was the second of three reboosts during Endeavour's mission to the station. The first, on Wednesday, increased the station's altitude by about 2.8 miles. A third reboost is scheduled for Sunday.

  Whitson and Pettit did troubleshooting on the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) on board the station. They checked electrical circuits upstream and downstream of the MSG's power distribution and conversion box - the device that provides electrical power to the facility - in hopes of identifying what caused the component to fail Nov. 20.

  Endeavour astronauts Michael Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington reviewed procedures for their third and final spacewalk of the STS-113 mission on Saturday. Participating were pilot and spacewalk intravehicular officer Paul Lockhart, Bowersox and Canadarm2 operators Whitson and Pettit. Much of the spacewalk will be devoted to installation of 33 spool positioning devices, to ensure that quick disconnect devices in station ammonia coolant lines will release as designed. Other tasks include connecting Ammonia Tank Assembly umbilicals and reconfiguring a circuit breaker on the Main Bus Switching Unit. If time allows, they also will reconfigure the Squib Firing Unit, designed to release Port One truss radiator panels for deployment.

• 2002 Nov 30 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #14  

  Today Mission Specialists Michael Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington will perform their third and final spacewalk of the mission. The spacewalk is set to begin at 1:20 p.m. Central Time.

  Pilot Paul Lockhart will coordinate the spacewalk from the aft flight deck of Endeavour. The station's robotic arm, the Canadarm2, will be operated at varying times by Expedition Five Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson, Expedition Six Commander Ken Bowersox and Expedition Six NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit. Commander Jim Wetherbee will provide TV and photo support.

  The spacewalkers will begin by installing 33 spool positioning devices on various locations around the outside of the station. The clamp-like devices ensure that the quick disconnect fittings in the station's ammonia coolant lines release as designed.

  Other spacewalk tasks include connecting the Ammonia Tank Assembly umbilicals and reconfiguring a circuit breaker on the Main Bus Switching Unit. If time allows, the two also will reconfigure the Squib Firing Unit, a pyrotechnic device designed to release the Port One truss radiator panels when they are deployed next year.

  Before the spacewalk begins, Whitson and Bowersox will command the Canadarm2 to walk off its current location on the Destiny Laboratory to its mobile base on the P1 truss. Whitson will operate the robotic arm with Pettit assisting during some of the spacewalk activities. When Herrington is finished, Whitson and Bowersox will command the Canadarm2 to return to a Power and Data Grapple Fixture on the Destiny Laboratory.

  During the spacewalk, Expedition Five Commander Valery Korzun and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev will continue handover activities with Bowersox and Expedition Six Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin. Korzun and Treschev also will complete their final sessions in the Lower Body Negative Pressure suit, a Russian device to help the cosmonauts prepare for their return to Earth's gravity.

• 2002 Nov 30 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #15 

  The third and final spacewalk of STS-113 ended at 8:25 p.m. central time today, as Mission Specialists Mike Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington climbed back inside the Quest Airlock. The two spacewalkers spent seven hours outside the International Space Station today, continuing the outfitting of the newly-installed P1 truss segment.

  Today's spacewalk began at 1:25 p.m., with Herrington being asked to look for possible obstructions that might have stalled the station's railcar, or Mobile Transporter (MT) that had stopped unexpectedly about 10 feet short of its intended destination. At 10:21 a.m. today, the MT was commanded to move from its position at Worksite 4 near the S-Zero (S0) truss to Worksite 7 where the station's robotic arm would have "walked off" from its mooring on the Destiny Laboratory to the MT and been used to maneuver Herrington through some of his tasks.

  Herrington spotted a stowed UHF communications antenna that had snagged a trailing umbilical mechanism on the MT, halting its motion. Herrington then deployed the antenna, freeing the MT to continue its travel toward Worksite 7. At 4:11 p.m., the railcar was in place and just before 6 p.m., was securely latched into place.

  Flight controllers evaluated the performance of the railcar and possible impacts to the spacewalk schedule as a result of troubleshooting activities, ultimately deciding to reprioritize some of today's tasks to ensure the high priority items were completed. After Herrington informed flight controllers he could complete all his assigned tasks without using the station's robotic arm, flight controllers elected not to perform the "walk off" of the station arm to the MT.

  Herrington and Lopez-Alegria successfully completed all of their assigned tasks during today's spacewalk, including the installation of 33 spool positioning devices on various locations around the outside of the station. From onboard Endeavour, Pilot Paul Lockhart coordinated the two spacewalkers' efforts, providing them with visual cues as they moved around the station.

  Aboard the station, handover activities continued between Expedition Five Commander Valery Korzun and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev and Expedition Six Commander Ken Bowersox and Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin.

• 2002 Dec 1 - EVA STS-113-3  Crew: Lopez-Alegria, Herrington. EVA Type: Extra-Vehicular Activity. EVA Duration: 0.29 days.

  It was planned to use the Mobile Transporter as a base for the SSRMS arm during the spacewalk. The MT was moved from worksite 4 on S0 to worksite 7 at the end of P1. Motion began at 1621 UTC but the MT got stuck a few meters short of its goal. The crew fell back on contingency training and opened the hatch of the Quest module at 1924 UTC. Instead of using the SSRMS for transport they spacewalked down the truss to the location of the MT. Here it was found that the MT was blocked by the undeployed P1 UHF antenna. The astronauts deployed it, clearing the MT's path. The MT finally reached its destination at 0011 UTC. This incident indicated problems with ISS configuration control but also showed the value of the astronauts' ability to handle unforeseen contingencies. During the spacewalk, the astronauts installed more fixes to the Station's ammonia line connectors, although dealing with the MT problem meant not all of the planned work could be completed.

• 2002 Dec 1 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #16 

  With most of their mission objectives successfully completed, the crews of Endeavour and the International Space Station will enjoy some scheduled time off during their last full day of joint operations.

  Since Endeavour arrived at the station on November 25, the 10 astronauts and cosmonauts have successfully worked together to install the 14-ton P1 truss segment, outfit and activate it during three spacewalks, transfer equipment, experiments and supplies between the two spacecraft, and exchange resident crews aboard the station.

  Today, spacewalkers Mike Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington, along with Pilot Paul Lockhart will clean up and stow away their spacesuits, following the conclusion of Saturday's final spacewalk of the mission. Endeavour Commander Jim Wetherbee will gently pulse the orbiter's thrusters this morning to raise the station's altitude by approximately 2.8 miles. The jet firings will last approximately 45 minutes, and combined with two previous reboost maneuvers earlier in the mission, should increase the station's total altitude by about 6 1/4 miles.

  The crew will also take some time today to verify operation of the tools that will be used during Monday's undocking of Endeavour from the International Space Station and to complete the final transfer of equipment. Approximately 95 percent of transfer activities are complete.

  About 2 p.m. central time, Wetherbee, Lockhart, Lopez-Alegria and Herrington, Expedition Six Commander Ken Bowersox and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit, will talk with media representatives from CNN Espanol, Indian Country Today and the Native America Calling radio network.

  Final handover briefings between the Expedition Five and Expedition Six crews will continue throughout the day, as the 10 astronauts and cosmonauts prepare to bid each other farewell tomorrow. Hatches between the two spacecraft are slated to be closed about 11:15 a.m. central time Monday, with Endeavour undocking from the station about 2:05 p.m.

• 2002 Dec 1 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #17 

  The crews of Endeavour and the International Space Station today got ready to say goodbye to one another, checking out tools that will be used during undocking of the two spacecraft on Monday. They also configured and stowed spacesuits used in the mission's three spacewalks. Crewmembers got some afternoon time off to relax and talk via radio with family members.

  This morning Endeavour Commander Jim Wetherbee initiated a series of firings of Endeavour's thrusters to raise the station's altitude by about 2.8 statute miles. This was the third reboost of the flight and left the ISS almost 61/2 miles higher than it was when the shuttle docked on Nov. 25. The station's average altitude is now about 247 miles.

  Shuttle crewmembers, Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart, Mission Specialists Michael Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington, and Expedition 5's NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson, her Expedition 6 successor Don Pettit and Expedition 6 Commander Ken Bowersox, spoke with representatives of Indian Country Today and Native America Calling radio network.

  Transfer activities wound down, with the crew wrapping up movement of supplies, equipment and experiments between the two spacecraft. Endeavour brought more than 2,500 pounds of material to the station in the shuttle's crew compartment.

  During the afternoon, Pettit and Whitson did additional troubleshooting on the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) in the station's U.S. laboratory Destiny. The glovebox allows experiments with fluids, flame, particles or fumes to be performed in an enclosed environment. The MSG's power distribution and conversion box failed Nov. 20. The box will be returned to Earth aboard Endeavour, leaving the MSG inactive.

  Handover talks continued between the Expedition 5 crew, Commander Valery Korzun, Whitson and cosmonaut Sergei Treschev, and Expedition 6 crewmembers Bowersox, Cosmonaut Nikolai Budarin and Pettit.

  Hatches between the two spacecraft are to be closed about 11:15 a.m. CST Monday, with Endeavour undocking from the station about 2:05 p.m. near the west coast of Australia after a pass over the Indian Ocean. Landing is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at Kennedy Space Center.

• 2002 Dec 2 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #18 

  Today, the crews of Endeavour and the International Space Station will bid each other a final farewell and shortly after will close hatches between the two spacecraft in preparation for Endeavour's departure this afternoon.

  Endeavour will leave behind the Expedition Six Crew - Commander Ken Bowersox, NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit and Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin - who are scheduled to live and work aboard the station for the next four months.

  Endeavour Commander Jim Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart, Mission Specialists Michael Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington, and Expedition Five Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev are scheduled to begin those farewells at 11:15 a.m.

  Endeavour is scheduled to undock from the space station at 2:05 p.m., after bringing the station a new resident crew, installing the Port One truss and transferring more than 2,500 pounds of supplies, equipment and experiments. As Endeavour gently undocks and backs slowly away from the station, the two vehicles should be flying high over Western Australia.

  Shortly after undocking, the Endeavour crew will release two miniature satellites as part of an experiment referred to as MEPSI. Funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the two small satellites, which are tethered together, will be released from Endeavour's payload bay to fly free for three days as a technology demonstration of the launcher assembly and use of micro-and nano-technolgoies in space systems.

  As the Expedition Six crew settles into its first day alone aboard the station, Endeavour's crew will begin stowing away equipment and hardware in anticipation of Wednesday's scheduled landing at the Kennedy Space Center. Weather permitting, Endeavour is scheduled to return to Earth on Wednesday at 2:48 p.m. central.

• 2002 Dec 2 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #19 

  Endeavour undocked from the International Space Station today, leaving behind the Expedition 6 crew -- Commander Ken Bowersox, NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit and Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin -- to begin its four-month stay.

  After final farewells among the STS-113 and Expedition 5 and 6 crews, the hatches between the spacecraft were closed at 11:57 a.m. CST. Following a series of pressure and leak checks, Endeavour gently undocked from the station at 2:05 p.m. as the two spacecraft flew over northwestern Australia. Total docked time for the mission was six days, 22 hours and six minutes.

  As Endeavour departed the station, Bowersox rang the ship's bell on board and wished the crew a safe landing. Endeavour Commander Jim Wetherbee wished the Expedition 6 crew "fair winds." After a one-quarter-lap fly-around of the station, Pilot Paul Lockhart fired a final separation burn of Endeavour's engines at 3:01 p.m. and began its final departure from the station.

  All major mission objectives were accomplished during Endeavour's stay at the ISS. The 14-ton Port One truss segment, one of 11 such structures that will form the station's backbone, was delivered and installed over the course of three spacewalks by Mission Specialists Michael Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington, and the station crews were exchanged. With its latest addition, the station's mass stands at 197 tons, or about 400,000 pounds. Returning home after spending 178 days on the station is the Expedition 5 crew -- Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev.

  At 4:05 p.m., Endeavour's crew released two miniature satellites as part of an experiment referred to as MEPSI. Funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the two small satellites, which are tethered together, were released from Endeavour's payload bay to fly free for three days as a technology demonstration of the launcher assembly and use of micro- and nano-technologies in space systems.

  The focus of activities aboard Endeavour on Tuesday will include a checkout of the systems that will be used during Wednesday's planned landing at the Kennedy Space Center. Endeavour is scheduled to land at 2:48 p.m., bringing Korzun, Whitson and Treschev home after 182 days in space. Weather for landing is forecasted to be questionable.

• 2002 Dec 3 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #20 

  Endeavour's crew will turn its attention to a return trip home today as they prepare for a possible landing Wednesday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Weather permitting, Endeavour is scheduled for a landing at 2:48 p.m. central time Wednesday.

  The crew will spend its day stowing away equipment and hardware, and preparing their vehicle for its high-speed reentry. With a landing tomorrow, the returning Expedition Five crew - Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev -will have spent 182 days in space. Approximately 2,203 pounds of equipment and experiments from the International Space Station will also return home aboard Endeavour.

  Over the course of an 11-day mission, the STS-113 crew - Commander Jim Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart and Mission Specialists Mike Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington - Whitson, Korzun and Treschev, and the Expedition Six crew of Commander Ken Bowersox, NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit and Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin, combined to install the new P1 truss to the station, perform three spacewalks to outfit and activate the truss, and transfer supplies and equipment between the two spacecraft.

  Preliminary weather forecasts for tomorrow's landing in Florida indicate the possibility of clouds and rain showers in the vicinity of the landing site. Flight controllers will continue to watch weather conditions and receive updated briefings throughout the day today.

  About 2 p.m. today, Endeavour's crew will take time to discuss the successful mission with CBS "Up to the Minute," TV-E Spain and Tulsa World newspaper. Aboard the space station, Bowersox, Pettit and Budarin are spending their 10th day in space unpacking the 2,135 pounds of supplies and equipment brought to the station by Endeavour.

• 2002 Dec 3 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #21 

  Activities aboard Endeavour today focused on preparations for Wednesday's planned landing at the Kennedy Space Center, concluding a voyage of 4.5 million miles.

  Commander Jim Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart and Flight Engineer John Herrington activated one of three hydraulic power units on Endeavour, tested all of its aerosurfaces, and then test-fired Endeavour's steering jets. The remaining crewmembers - Mike Lopez-Alegria, and Expedition 5 crewmembers Valery Korzun, Peggy Whitson and Sergei Treschev - continued packing up gear and hardware in anticipation of tomorrow's landing.

  Endeavour has two opportunities to land at the Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday. The first begins with a deorbit burn of the Orbital Maneuvering System engines at 1:42 p.m. CST, followed by a landing at 2:48 p.m. In the event weather prevents a landing on that first opportunity, there is a second opportunity, beginning with a deorbit burn at 3:20 p.m. and resulting in a 4:26 p.m. landing. Preliminary weather forecasts call for the possibility of clouds and rain showers in the vicinity of the three-mile-long landing strip on Wednesday. The backup landing site at California's Edwards Air Force Base was not activated for Wednesday. Endeavour has sufficient consumables to remain in orbit until Sunday.

  The seven crewmembers took a few minutes this afternoon to talk with CBS' "Up to the Minute," TV-E Spain and the Tulsa World newspaper. The crew discussed its successful shuttle mission as well as the Expedition 5 crew's to date 181-day experience in space.

  Meanwhile, aboard the International Space Station, the Expedition 6 crew -Commander Ken Bowersox, NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit and Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin - spent today settling into its new home and unpacking some of the equipment and hardware carried to the station by Endeavour. The crew also enjoyed some time off during its first full day alone on the station.

  Endeavour's crew will begin a scheduled eight-hour sleep period at 9:50 p.m. today, waking at 5:50 a.m. Wednesday to prepare for a homecoming to the Kennedy Space Center.

• 2002 Dec 4 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #22 

  Activities aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour today will focus on a planned landing at the Kennedy Space Center this afternoon.

  Endeavour has two opportunities to land today. The first begins with a deorbit burn of the Orbital Maneuvering System engines at 1:42 p.m. CST, followed by a landing at 2:48 p.m. In the event weather prevents a landing on that first opportunity, there is a second opportunity, beginning with a deorbit burn at 3:20 p.m. and resulting in a 4:26 p.m. landing.

  Preliminary weather forecasts call for the possibility of clouds and rain showers in the vicinity of the three-mile-long landing strip, with a 30 percent probability of weather prohibiting landing. The backup landing site at California's Edwards Air Force Base has not been activated for today. Endeavour has sufficient consumables to remain in orbit until Sunday.

  Commander Jim Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart and Missions Specialists Michael Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington have been in space since Nov. 23. Returning to Earth from the International Space Station with STS-113 is the Expedition Five crew - Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev - which has been in space since June 5.

  The new crew of the International Space Station - Expedition Six Commander Ken Bowersox, NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit and Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin - will spend its day, respectively, reconfiguring the station's computer network and loading new software onto the computers to support the crew's activities for the next four months; checking out the equipment in the Human Research Facility Rack and the station's defibrillator; and performing periodic maintenance on the station's Russian systems.

  If Endeavour lands on time, crewmembers are tentatively scheduled to return to the Johnson Space Center in Houston on Friday afternoon.

• 2002 Dec 4 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #23 

  The Space Shuttle Endeavour will spend at least one more day in space awaiting acceptable landing weather after two opportunities to return to Florida today were bypassed due to low clouds at the landing site.

  Flight controllers are now focusing on opportunities for landing on Thursday at the Kennedy Space Center. The next opportunity for a landing by Endeavour would begin with an engine firing at 12:49 p.m. CST Thursday leading to a touchdown in Florida at 1:54 p.m. CST. A second opportunity to land tomorrow also is available beginning with an engine firing at 2:26 p.m. CST leading to touchdown at 3:30 p.m. CST.

  Flight controllers plan to monitor weather forecasts for Florida overnight before making a decision early tomorrow on whether to pursue Thursday's landing opportunities. The alternate shuttle landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California will not be considered on Thursday.

  Endeavour has enough supplies to remain in orbit until at least Sunday if necessary. The current weather forecast for a Thursday landing calls for possible clouds and rain that could be unacceptable.

  Aboard Endeavour are Commander Jim Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart, Mission Specialists Mike Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington and the returning International Space Station Expedition 5 crew of Commander Valery Korzun, Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev. Wetherbee, Lockhart, Lopez-Alegria and Herrington have been aloft since Nov. 23. Korzun, Whitson and Treschev have been in orbit since June 5.

• 2002 Dec 5 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #24 

  The Space Shuttle Endeavour will spend at least one more day in space after rain, clouds and windy conditions at the Kennedy Space Center prompted flight controllers to wave off today's opportunities to bring Endeavour and its crew of seven home.

  There are two opportunities for Endeavour to return home to Florida on Friday. The first begins with an engine firing at 11:51 a.m. Central Time leading to a 12:57 p.m. touchdown in Florida. A second opportunity is available with a 1:27 p.m. deorbit burn leading to a 2:33 p.m. landing.

  Flight controllers will continue to monitor weather forecasts throughout the day. Preliminary forecasts indicate a continuing chance of clouds and rain over the next 24 hours. The alternate shuttle landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California will not be called up for support Friday. Endeavour has enough supplies to remain in orbit until at least Sunday if necessary.

  Aboard Endeavour are Commander Jim Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart, Mission Specialists Mike Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington and the returning International Space Station Expedition Five crew of Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev. Wetherbee, Lockhart, Lopez-Alegria and Herrington have been aloft since Nov. 23. Korzun, Whitson and Treschev have been in orbit since June 5.

• 2002 Dec 6 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #25 

  Flight controllers will once again closely watch weather conditions at the Kennedy Space Center in hope of bringing Endeavour and its seven-member crew home today.

  There are two landing opportunities in Florida today. The first begins with a deorbit firing of Endeavour's engines at 11:51 a.m. resulting in a 12:57 p.m. Central Time landing. If weather does not permit a landing on the first opportunity, there is a second, with a deorbit burn at 1:27 p.m. resulting in a 2:33 p.m. Central Time landing.

  Preliminary forecasts for today continue to show low cloud ceilings, possible windy conditions and rain at the Florida landing site. A clearing trend is expected over the next 24 hours with improved conditions in the vicinity of the Kennedy Space Center on Saturday. The alternate shuttle landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California will be called up for support as well on Saturday.

  There are two landing opportunities available at both the Kennedy Space Center and Edwards Air Force Base on Saturday, if required. The first of two opportunities in Florida would see Endeavour land at 1:37 p.m. Central Time, with a second opportunity at 3:14 p.m. Central. The times for a California landing are 4:45 p.m. Central and 6:22 p.m. Central.

  Endeavour's seven-member crew includes Commander Jim Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart, Mission Specialists Mike Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington, and the returning International Space Station Expedition Five crew of Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev. Korzun, Whitson and Treschev are now in their 184th day in space.

  Aboard the International Space Station, the Expedition Six crew is completing its first week in orbit. Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit have been busy at work stowing away the supplies and hardware carried to orbit by Endeavour. They also are preparing for Thursday's scheduled 6 1/2 hour-long spacewalk to be conducted by Bowersox and Budarin. NASA Television coverage of the spacewalk begins at 7 a.m., with the start of the spacewalk slated for 8 a.m. Central.

• 2002 Dec 6 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #26 

  A stalled cold front at the Kennedy Space Center, resulting in low clouds and overcast weather, will keep Endeavour aloft for another 24 hours. For the third consecutive day, flight controllers were forced to wave off opportunities to bring Endeavour home to Florida.

  There are a total of four landing opportunities on Saturday, two in Florida and two at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The Kennedy Space Center remains the primary landing site, with improved weather conditions predicted. Preliminary forecasts at KSC currently show the potential for continuing cloud cover, but generally improved conditions. Weather at Edwards Air Force Base is expected to be acceptable to support a landing.

  The first opportunity for Endeavour to return to Florida would see a deorbit burn at 12:32 p.m. Central Time with landing at 1:37 p.m. Central. The second opportunity of the day begins with a deorbit firing of Endeavour's engines at 2:09 p.m. with landing at 3:15 p.m. Central. If weather conditions require Endeavour to land at the alternate site in California, the first opportunity would be at 4:45 p.m., with a second opportunity at 6:22 p.m. Central.

  Flight controllers will carefully monitor weather forecasts on both coasts overnight as they prepare to bring Endeavour home Saturday. A landing tomorrow will conclude a 185-day stay in space for the returning Expedition Five crew - Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev - and a 14-day mission for the STS-113 crew of Commander Jim Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart, and Mission Specialists Mike Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington.

• 2002 Dec 7 - Landing of STS-113 

  STS-113 landed at 19:36 GMT.

• 2002 Dec 7 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #27 

  With the most favorable weather forecast so far this week, Endeavour and crew are focusing on a landing today preferably at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., although a landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., where the weather is clear and calm, is possible.

  This is the fourth day of landing attempts for Endeavour. There are four landing opportunities available today, the first two opportinuties in Florida and the later two in California. The forecast for the Kennedy Space Center today calls for a slight chance of low clouds and fairly strong winds predicted to calm as the day progresses.

  The first opportunity for Endeavour to return to Florida would see a deorbit burn at 12:32 p.m. Central Time with landing at 1:37 p.m. Central. The second opportunity of the day begins with a deorbit firing of Endeavour's engines at 2:09 p.m. with landing at 3:15 p.m. Central. If weather conditions require Endeavour to land at the alternate site in California, the first opportunity would begin with an engine firing at 3:41 p.m. Central leading to touchdown at 4:45 p.m. Central. The second California opportunity would begin with an engine firing at 5:18 p.m. Central leading to a touchdown at 6:22 p.m. Central.

  A landing today will conclude a 185-day stay in space for the returning Expedition Five crew - Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev - and a 14-day mission for the STS-113 crew of Commander Jim Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart, and Mission Specialists Mike Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington.

• 2002 Dec 7 - STS-113 MCC Status Report #28 

  Endeavour descended to a flawless landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida this afternoon, ending four days of landing attempts thwarted by bad weather and returning home an International Space Station crew that spent 185 days in space.

  Commander Jim Wetherbee guided Endeavour to a touchdown on KSC's shuttle runway at 1:37 p.m. Central, completing a 5.74-million-mile journey that added a new segment to the space station's growing backbone and exchanged resident space station crews. Endeavour's landing completed the final shuttle mission of the year and brought home the station's Expedition Five crew -- Commander Valery Korzun, Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev. The Expedition Six crew -- Commander Ken Bowersox, NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit and Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin -- remain on the International Space Station, beginning a three-month stay. Ending a 14-day flight aboard Endeavour today were Wetherbee, Shuttle Pilot Paul Lockhart and Mission Specialists Mike Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington.

  Official landing times for Endeavour include main gear touchdown at 1:37:12 p.m. Central which equates to 13 days, 18 hours, 47 minutes and 25 seconds Mission Elapsed Time. Nose gear touch down occurred at 1:37:23 p.m. Central or 13 days, 18 hours, 47 minutes and 36 seconds Mission Elapsed Time. Wheels stop for Endeavour occurred at 1:38:25 p.m. Central or 13 days, 18 hours, 48 minutes and 38 seconds Mission Elapsed Time.

  The Expedition Five crew and Endeavour's crew will return to Houston's Ellington Field on Monday, December 9. A welcome home ceremony is planned beginning at 3 p.m. Central at Hangar 990.