STS-118 docked and the power transfer system was activated
In the photo: immediately after the opening of the hatch - the crews of STS-118 and Expedition 15 congratulate each other. Image courtesy of NASA-TV.
The 'STS-118' and 'Mission 15' teams joined forces; The members engage in a series of operations aboard the shuttle and the space station. In addition, at 17:17 (all times in the article are according to EDT), the crew activated the Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System, known for short as SSPTS.
Operations and operations began only a few hours after STS-118's arrival at the space station, on Friday. The Endeavor docked at 14:02 and the crew received a warm welcome when it descended to the space station at 16:04.
Some animations illustrating the different stages: Access to the space station; The reverse; the docking.
The role of the SSPTS is to route power from the space station to the guest shuttle. If all goes well, mission managers may extend STS-118's stay in space to 14 days instead of 11, and may even increase the number of spacewalkers from three to four. The decisions on these matters will probably be made on Sunday, when the relevant information will be available.
Both crews are preparing for the first spacewalk of STS-118, which they expect to begin today (Saturday) at 12:31 p.m. The spacewalkers will assist in the installation and operation of the 'Right 5' (S5) support. On Friday, a number of preparations were required for the spacewalk, including the transfer of the appropriate equipment and a final review of the procedures and stages. The crews also used the shuttle's robotic arm to lift S5 out of the cargo hold, and delivered it to the space station's robotic arm.
The two astronauts, mission specialists Rick Massatrizio and Dave Williams, will spend the night in the air-tight cabin, Quest, on the space station. The purpose of this procedure is to prevent the ill feelings that may be caused by a decrease in pressure.
Previous articles that appeared in the series
"Dry oh!" – The STS-118 crew prepares to dock.
The Adventures of a Ferry.
The space shuttle Endeavor was launched.
