posted 08-20-2007 10:15 PM               

NASA managers will evaluate weather conditions at Kennedy before permitting Endeavour to return to Earth. Tuesday's landing opportunities are at 11:32 a.m. and 1:06 p.m. CDT (see chart below). The backup landing site at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif., is available but likely will not be considered for Tuesday. The other backup site at White Sands Space Harbor, NM, will not be activated on Tuesday.

If weather prevents a Kennedy landing Tuesday, NASA will activate backup landing sites for attempts on Wednesday.

After touchdown, the astronauts will undergo physical examinations and meet with their families. Some crew members are expected to hold a news conference six hours after returning to Earth.

NASA managers moved Endeavour's return up a day in case Hurricane Dean threatened mission control at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. However, the storm is not expected to affect landing.

The STS-118 mission began August 8 and installed a new gyroscope, an external spare parts platform and another truss segment to the expanding station.

Deorbit Opportunities for STS-118 (all times are CDT)
Updated: August 19

posted 08-21-2007 08:51 AM               

Endeavour's payload bay doors are now closed. If flight controllers decide to press ahead with landing, commander Scott Kelly and pilot Charles "Scorch" Hobaugh will fire Endeavour’s engines at 10:25 a.m. to begin the descent to Kennedy.

If flight controllers choose to pass on the first opportunity a second one is available at the Florida spaceport. It calls for touchdown at 1:06 p.m., with the deorbit burn at 12 p.m. White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico will not be called up today as a possible site. Edwards AFB, Calif., will be staffed, but is not expected to be used.

posted 08-21-2007 11:11 AM               

How does the shuttle have (albeit "ratty") data/voice communications during re-entry when previous vehicles like Apollo and Gemini capsules were in complete "comm blackout?"

Does it have to do speed or angle of re-entry and/or the TDRS system?

Or am I wrong and there is a complete comm blackout during re-entry?

Ed

posted 08-21-2007 11:23 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by edmk5000:
How does the shuttle have (albeit "ratty") data/voice communications during re-entry when previous vehicles like Apollo and Gemini capsules were in complete "comm blackout?"

---

quote:

---

When the shuttle enters the atmosphere, the brunt of the heat is on the underside of the orbiter. The thermo protection tiles are facedown, so the plasma or ionization layer is open at the trailing end behind the shuttle, providing a hole through which communications with the shuttle can be maintained with the TDRS. Even if the TDRS satellites had been in use when Mercury, Gemini and Apollo were in flight, the spacecrafts still may have experienced blackouts because of their body shapes.

---

posted 08-21-2007 11:33 AM               

"Houston, Endeavour, wheels stop," radioed STS-118 commander Scott Kelly.

"Roger, wheels stop Endeavour, congratulations, welcome home. You've given a new meaning to higher education!" replied capcom Chris Ferguson.

Space shuttle Endeavour touched down at 11:32 a.m. CDT on Runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida. Completing its 20th flight, Endeavour and the crew of STS-118 logged a mission duration of 12 days, 17 hours and 55 minutes, traveling 5,274,977 miles over the course of 201 orbits of the Earth.

STS-118 marked the 22nd shuttle flight to the International Space Station and 119th mission in shuttle program history. Today's landing was the 65th shuttle touchdown at Kennedy Space Center and the 50th daytime landing in Florida.

posted 08-21-2007 11:47 AM               

Not in Florida but with my computer. I captured screens of landing.

posted 08-21-2007 12:10 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by garymilgrom:
How many runways make up the SLF at Kennedy?

---

posted 08-21-2007 02:40 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by garymilgrom:
Robert are there concerns about Ms. Morgan's health?

---

quote:

---

This was Barbara's flight flight. She was feeling just a little bit under the weather. The flight crew office said she was doing just fine but she wasn't able to stand up and walk around out in the Florida heat quite right yet.

Having stood up and walked around in the Florida heat, I was about ready to join her.

---

posted 08-21-2007 05:06 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by garymilgrom:
Robert are there concerns about Ms. Morgan's health?

---

quote:

---

The room still spins a little bit, but that's okay.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't that bad. Just something, it will go away. It's actually pretty interesting -- if you could be in my body. (laughs)

---