Endeavor has arrived at the International Space Station

Thus began the STS-126 mission, in which the living areas on the station will be expanded and the engine that rotates the solar collector in tracking the sun will be renovated to optimize the production of electricity

The space shuttle Endeavour, which took off yesterday for mission STS-126, docked a few minutes ago, shortly after midnight at the International Space Station. The ferry's commander, Chris Ferguson, was at the helm of Endeavor when it docked at the berth adjacent to the Armenian component of the station at precisely 17:01 PM Eastern Time - one minute past midnight Israel Time. The station and ferry crews will open the doors around two in the morning and meet. Sandra Magnus, who arrived by shuttle, will replace Greg Cheimtoff and become the flight engineer for the station's 18th crew.

On Saturday, the astronauts aboard the space shuttle Endeavor completed testing the shuttle's heat shield. The astronauts used the sensor system attached to the end of the robotic arm to scan the heat shield.

They also scanned an area below the shuttle's left maneuvering engine for further analysis on the ground. On Sunday, the shuttle will arrive at the space station and dock at 17:04 EST (00:04 Israel time, Monday). Shortly before docking, the shuttle will perform a self-rotation so that the astronauts on the station can photograph the heat shield for further analysis.

The shuttle crew of seven is commanded by astronaut Chris Ferguson, and the rest of the crew are pilot Eric Bowe, and astronauts Donald Pettit, Heidi-Marie Stephanin-Pfeiffer, Steve Bowen, Shane Kimborough and Sandra Magnus. For Bowen, Bowen and Kimborough this will be their first space flight. As mentioned, space station crew member Greg Chaimtoff will return to Earth and Magnus will remain in place on the space station.

On Endeavor's cargo deck is the Leonardo multi-purpose logistics component, filled with approximately 6,600 kg of equipment and supplies, one of the heaviest modules in the history of space shuttles. Also in the cargo hold is the equipment for an additional sleeping area, second toilets for the station and a physical fitness facility, and other equipment for the astronauts' daily use.

The main goal of the 15-day mission is to prepare the station to increase the number of team members for a long period from three today to six. The four spacewalks planned for the mission will focus on servicing the two bearings of the Alpha Solar Collectors, which are required to track the Sun for power generation.

Endeavor and its crew will land at the Kennedy Space Center after spending over two weeks in space.