Now a record number of astronauts are staying at the station at the same time - 13
The Space Shuttle Endeavor docked at the International Space Station tonight. The hatches between the shuttle and the station opened at 22:48 and its seven astronauts entered, joining the six members of the space station's 20th crew. This brings the number of people staying at the station at the same time to a record - 13 people. Tomorrow will begin the indicative phase of mission STS-127 - the first spacewalk.
During the welcome ceremony, station commander Gennady Padalka rang the spacecraft's bell, signaling Endeavour's arrival. "This is a significant event in the space program," Padalka said.
Endeavor commander Mark Polanski added: "13 is a large number of people. We are happy to be here.” The astronauts received a safety briefing from the old crew members, and the exchange ceremony between Thiom Kupra who joined the station's crew and the Japanese Koichi Wakata, who will return to Earth on the shuttle Endeavour, has already taken place.
The members of the two teams have ten busy days ahead of them, which include, among other things, five spacewalks to assemble the external component of the Japanese Kibo Laboratory, where experiments required to be exposed to space conditions will be stored, and the astronauts will also perform maintenance work outside the station.
On the ground, the scientists will try to decipher the high-resolution photographs of the heat shield in the lower part of the shuttle, as well as sensitive areas such as the tips of the wings and the nose dome, in order to try and locate the damage caused by falling tiles and insulating foam during the shuttle's launch. After that, NASA will decide what actions the astronauts will be required to perform. If necessary, it will be possible to add space walks.
