Endeavor is expected to dock with the space station today

The meeting is scheduled for the morning hours

For almost a day and a half, members of the Space Shuttle Endeavor crew have been in orbit on mission STS-123. On the first day they completed the inspection of the shuttle's outer sheath and began preparations for the rendezvous with the International Space Station expected today.

The Endeavor astronauts used the robotic arm and its extension component to examine the exterior of Endeavour, as well as the front of the wings. The purpose of the tests was to see that during the shuttle's climb to orbit no damage occurred to the insulation tiles that protect the shuttle from the heat returning to the atmosphere. As I recall, the shuttle took off on a night launch, and therefore the ability to photograph such collisions was less than a day launch, and therefore the importance of the tests that take place on the route is great.

The astronauts also checked the systems needed for the connection and made additional preparations required before arriving at the station.

The astronauts on mission STS-123 also tested the spacesuits that some of them will use during no less than five spacewalks. Three of them will be dedicated to the assembly of Dexter - the new and double Canadian arm, as well as the last component of the mobile service system and related equipment, as well as the removal of the first component of the Japanese space station Kibo from the shuttle's trunk and its transfer to the station.

Additional activities outside the station will include the installation of spare parts for tools and materials for experiments, as well as the replacement of a fuse box and a demonstration of repair procedures for the shuttle's heat protection system tiles. The astronauts will also store a component called the OBSS adjacent to the shuttle's main corridor during the fifth spacewalk.