A fourth spacewalk is not required to repair the thermal shroud near the left window of the shuttle command
NASA's Control Center radioed today to members of the Discovery crew that the good news is that a fourth spacewalk is not needed to repair the thermal cover near the left window of the shuttle's headquarters. The director of the control room says that the decision was made after a thorough analysis of all the known details. A press conference is expected later (midnight our time).
Earlier, the nine astronauts currently on the space station performed a memorial ceremony for the astronauts and cosmonauts who were killed during the occupation of space. All nine wore red shirts with mission 107. Each member of the team said a few words of remembrance in his language - English, Russian and Japanese.
The memorial ceremony on video
The crew members also loaded the shuttle with items that were on the station and that are supposed to return to Earth. They also attended a press conference and a conversation with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
Eileen Collins, commander of the "Discovery" shuttle, today described the environmental destruction and pollution, clearly visible on the surface of the earth from the shuttle. She warned and said that humans must take care of the earth and protect its natural resources.
"Sometimes you can see erosion, and sometimes you can see the deforestation," said Collins in a conversation from space with personalities in Japan, including the Prime Minister, Yonichiro Koizumi, "these phenomena are very common in certain parts of the world. We would like to see, from the point of view of astronauts, that people take care of the Earth and replace the natural resources that have been used up." The BBC reported that the Discovery is now linked to the International Space Station, located 352 km above the Earth.
Collins, who is on her fourth shuttle flight, said her vantage point from outer space makes it clear beyond any doubt that Earth's atmosphere must also be protected. "The atmosphere looks almost like an eggshell, it's so thin," Collins said, "We know there's not enough air, and we have to protect what we have."
