SAFE LANDING OF SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR STS 130 MISSION FEBRUARY 22, 2010

Space Shuttle Landing Coverage STS-130 Landing Blog FEBRUARY 22, 2010


CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Endeavour lands in darkness on Runway 15 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after 14 days in space, completing the 5.7-million-mile STS-130 mission to the International Space Station on orbit 217. Main gear touchdown was at 10:20:31 p.m. EST followed by nose gear touchdown at 10:20:39 p.m. and wheels stop at 10:22:10 p.m. It was the 23rd night landing in shuttle history and the 17th at Kennedy. Aboard are Commander George Zamka; Pilot Terry Virts; and Mission Specialists Robert Behnken, Nicholas Patrick, Kathryn Hire and Stephen Robinson. During Endeavour's STS-130 mission, astronauts installed the Tranquility node, a module that provides additional room for crew members and many of the station's life support and environmental control systems. Attached to Tranquility is a cupola with seven windows that provide a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecraft. The module was built in Turin, Italy, by Thales Alenia Space for the European Space Agency. The orbiting laboratory is approximately 90 percent complete now in terms of mass. STS-130 was the 24th flight for Endeavour, the 32nd shuttle mission devoted to ISS assembly and maintenance, and the 130th shuttle mission to date. For information on the STS-130 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts130. Photo credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph and Kevin O'Connell

Space shuttle Endeavour landed Sunday night at 10:20 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Blogger Steve Siceloff followed the entry and landing milestones from the Air Traffic Control Tower at the Shuttle Landing Facility as the orbiter and its crew of six astronauts came back to Earth.

The crew of STS-130 returned from space after about 14 days in orbit. The shuttle also was considerably lighter when it landed since its main payload, the Tranquility node and windowed cupola, were attached to the International Space Station during the flight. Commander George Zamka and Pilot Terry Virst were at Endeavour's controls as the shuttle glided to the Kennedy runway.

NOTE: All times are posted in Eastern. Timestamps appear in your local time.
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LANDING BLOG COVERAGE TIMELINE.

The shuttle will be taken to its processing hangar in a few hours. Meanwhile, preparations are already well under way for mission STS-131, targeted to lift off April 5.

Good night from the Shuttle Landing Facility and Kennedy Space Center!
Mon, 22 Feb 2010 05:40:51 GMT
"We're safe on deck here at Kennedy Space Center and that's due to the work of a lot of people," STS-130 mission Commander George Zamka said. "And Endeavour, oh my goodness, what a perfect machine."

"What a phenomenal flight that we had," Pilot Terry Virts said.

For Kathryn "Kay" Hire, the landing marked a return to her original NASA work location. Hire served as an shuttle engineer in several capacities before joining the astronaut corps.

"Thanks so much for the great weather here," she said, "Thanks again for providing us such a wonderful spacecraft and I hope we didn't beat it up too much."

Zamka outlined his crew's first task: "We're going to start getting used to life on Earth again."]]> Mon, 22 Feb 2010 05:25:14 GMT Mon, 22 Feb 2010 05:01:50 GMT Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:27:10 GMT Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:23:26 GMT Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:05:45 GMT Mon, 22 Feb 2010 03:53:12 GMT Mon, 22 Feb 2010 03:30:33 GMT
The shuttle made 217 orbits of Earth since launching on Feb. 8. Endeavour covered about 5,750,000 miles during the flight.

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 03:25:18 GMT
So what's it like inside? Well, it's pretty dark. There is a glow in the tower from the computer monitors and radar readings. Naturally, it's dark so the controllers can see what's going on outside. There's a lot of energy tonight as the controllers work with astronaut Chris Ferguson, who is flying weather reconnaissance in a Shuttle Training Aircraft, talk with mission control in Houston and coordinate other landing-related activity near the runway.


Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:39:32 GMT
Tonight's landing blog originates from inside the Air Traffic Control Tower at the Shuttle Landing Facility as we await Endeavour's return. We are at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Florida's Atlantic coast, which is the shuttle's primary landing site. We'll bring you a bit of the atmosphere from here as the night unfolds Landing Blog Concludes for STS-130

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:40:51 AM EST

With Endeavour on the runway here at Kennedy and the astronauts heading to the Astronaut Crew Quarters, we will wrap up the landing blog for STS-130. The mission added the "Tranquility" module to the International Space Station along with a seven-windowed cupola that allows unprecedented views of Earth and space.

The shuttle will be taken to its processing hangar in a few hours. Meanwhile, preparations are already well under way for mission STS-131, targeted to lift off April 5.
Good night from the Shuttle Landing Facility and Kennedy Space Center!

Astronauts Rave About Mission, Shuttle
Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:25:14 AM EST

The six crew members who spent about two weeks on space shuttle Endeavour and at the International Space Station celebrated their successful mission as they surveyed their spacecraft. They also spoke about their mission before heading back to the Astronaut Crew Quarters here at Kennedy.

"We're safe on deck here at Kennedy Space Center and that's due to the work of a lot of people," STS-130 mission Commander George Zamka said. "And Endeavour, oh my goodness, what a perfect machine."

"What a phenomenal flight that we had," Pilot Terry Virts said.

For Kathryn "Kay" Hire, the landing marked a return to her original NASA work location. Hire served as an shuttle engineer in several capacities before joining the astronaut corps.

"Thanks so much for the great weather here," she said, "Thanks again for providing us such a wonderful spacecraft and I hope we didn't beat it up too much."

Zamka outlined his crew's first task: "We're going to start getting used to life on Earth again."

Astronauts Walk Around Endeavour
Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:01:50 AM EST

Commander George Zamka is leading his crew during the walk around beneath the shuttle. This is a victory lap of sorts for shuttle crews as they visit with NASA officials, including Charles Bolden, the agency administrator, and Bob Cabana, Kennedy's director. The astronauts will look over the heat shield and landing gear as they move around under the shuttle.

Control Tower Crew Overseeing Post-Landing
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 11:27:10 PM EST

The air traffic controllers here in the tower at the Shuttle Landing Facility are continuing to watch over Endeavour and the group of vehicles servicing it. The controllers handle traffic moving onto and from the runway during the servicing work.

Astronauts Leave Endeavour
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 11:23:26 PM EST

All six of Endeavour's astronauts have left the shuttle and are inside the Crew Transport Vehicle at the Shuttle Landing Facility. They will leave the CTV shortly for a quick walk around beneath the shuttle.

Endeavour lit up on SLF
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 11:05:45 PM EST

The shuttle has a host of lights focused on it tonight as technicians swarm around the spacecraft following a successful, on-time landing about 40 minutes ago. Two astronauts have left the orbiter and are inside the Crew Transport Vehicle. The CTV is a converted version of the "people-movers" used at some airports to take passengers between terminals.

Endeavour Leaves Station with New Room, Window
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:53:12 PM EST

The shuttle's return marks the successful completion of the STS-130 mission that added the "Tranquility" module to the International Space Station, along with a one-of-a-kind windowed cupola that often has been compared to a bay window for the orbiting laboratory. With the addition, the station's mass is about 800,000 pounds, easily the largest spacecraft ever flown. In fact, it's mass far exceeds the weight of NASA's three orbiters combined.

Recovery Process Begins
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:30:33 PM EST

Teams of specialists here at Kennedy have driven onto the Shuttle Landing Facility where they will help the astronauts leave the shuttle and get the spacecraft ready to be rolled back to its hangar next to the Vehicle Assembly Building.

A Round-and-Round Trip
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:25:18 PM EST

"It's great to be home," Endeavour Commander George Zamka radioed after landing. "It was a great adventure."

The shuttle made 217 orbits of Earth since launching on Feb. 8. Endeavour covered about 5,750,000 miles during the flight.

Endeavour Lands!
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:21:32 PM EST

Space shuttle Endeavour has landed at Kennedy!

Final Approach
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:20:21 PM EST

Endeavour is in line with Kennedy's runway. Touch down coming up.

Sonic Booms
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:18:10 PM EST

Endeavour shook Kennedy with its tell-tale twin sonic booms. Three minutes to touch down. Zamka is flying the shuttle.

Five Minutes
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:16:01 PM EST

Endeavour is five minutes from landing.

150 miles
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:14:58 PM EST

Endeavour is gliding at about 3,400 mph through the Florida skies. It is about 150 miles from touch down at 10:20 p.m.

Endeavour Over Florida
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:12:37 PM EST

Endeavour is passing to the west of Lake Okeechobee as it heads to Kennedy.

10 Minutes to Landing
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:10:47 PM EST

Endeavour is now 10 minutes from the Shuttle Landing Facility here at Kennedy. The controllers in the Air Traffic Control Tower are coordinating the convoy of support vehicles and watching over the surrounding airspace and the runway.

Roll Reversal
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:08:07 PM EST

Commander George Zamka is steering Endeavour through a roll reversal now, turning it onto a path leading to Kennedy. A long convoy of vans, truck and a few huge, specialized machines are waiting beside the runway to move in and "safe" the shuttle after it lands.

Roll Maneuver
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 09:58:21 PM EST

Endeavour Commander George Zamka is steering the shuttle through the first roll to slow the orbiter as it weaves through the atmosphere. The move is often compared to a skier digging his edges into the snow. He will make another sweeping turn in a few minutes.

Runway 15
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 09:54:35 PM EST

Endeavour's landing pattern calls for it to touch down on runway 15. That means the shuttle will land from the northwest heading southeast. The Shuttle Landing Facility has one long landing strip, but it is numbered as if it were two runways, denoting the approach direction. An approach from the southeast is called as runway 33.

Entry Interface
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 09:51:22 PM EST

Endeavour is encountering the first layers of the denser atmosphere. The air heats up quickly around the shuttle and forms a plasma. The shuttle's heat shield protects the spacecraft from the intense heat during this phase. Endeavour is over the South Pacific Ocean, going Mach 25. It will quickly slow as it continues falling into thickening air. Endeavour’s three auxiliary power units are running now. They provide the power to move the shuttle’s elevons, rudder and speedbrake. Those are the mechanisms that steer the shuttle like an airplane inside the atmosphere. In space, the shuttle uses a network of small thrusters to maneuver.

Seating Assignments
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 09:28:34 PM EST

As commander, astronaut George Zamka is in the front of Endeavour's flight deck in the left-hand seat and has access to dozens of switches and the control stick. Opposite of him, Pilot Terry Virts has a similar suite of instruments around him and a control stick of his own. Zamka and Virts can fly the shuttle from their positions. Behind them, Mission Specialist Stephen Robinson is serving as the flight engineer, sitting behind the commander and pilot in a seat positioned between them. Mission Specialist Kathryn "Kay" Hire is sitting behind Virts. On the lower level, Mission Specialists Robert Behnken and Nicholas Patrick are positioned in their seats. They can hear the transmissions back and forth, but don't have a window they can watch things through. The small circular window on the hatch is too far behind them to be of much use. Don't feel too bad for them, though. They were the spacewalkers for this flight, so they had some of the best views imaginable.

Stage Set for 10:20 p.m. Landing
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 09:20:48 PM EST

With the deorbit burn complete, Endeavour is on pace to land at 10:20 p.m. at Kennedy.

Deorbit Burn Complete
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 09:18:44 PM EST

The twin orbital maneuvering system engines fired as planned and Endeavour has begun its return to Earth. The orbiter is 218 miles over the planet near Indonesia. The shuttle will approach Florida from the southwest, flying over Naples on its way to Kennedy.

Endeavour Crew Lining up for Deorbit Burn
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 09:13:50 PM EST

The six astronauts inside Endeavour are in their seats and the shuttle is maneuvered so it is flying backward in relation to Earth with its payload bay facing the Earth. The OMS engines will ignite long enough to slow the shuttle's speed by about 200 mph. After the engines are shut off, Commander George Zamka will push the orbiter's nose over so the shuttle's heat shield is facing the planet.

Deorbit Burn at 9:15
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 08:58:06 PM EST

Endeavour will begin the deorbit burn at 9:15 p.m. The shuttle's two orbital maneuvering system engines will fire for about 2 1/2 minutes and slow Endeavour down by about 200 mph, just enough to let Earth's gravity pull it into the atmosphere for entry. The process is called "deorbit burn" because it takes the shuttle out of orbit.

"Go" for De-Orbit Burn
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 08:52:24 PM EST

Flight Director Norm Knight has given a thumbs-up to land Endeavour here at Kennedy Space Center tonight. Capcom Rick Sturckow, who most recently commanded the STS-128 mission, radioed Endeavour commander George Zamka that he has been cleared to bring the shuttle home. The call sets up a careful series of steps for Zamka and his crew as they set themselves up for the entry and landing.

The Scene Inside the Tower
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 08:39:32 PM EST

In a rare look at Kennedy's inner workings during landing, we have been granted access to the Air Traffic Control Tower at the Shuttle Landing Facility for Endeavour's entry and landing tonight. The tower is located beside the runway and reaches about 100 feet above the SLF. The vantage point allows the controllers here to look over aircraft and spacecraft as they approach the runway, along with the recovery convoy and any other service vehicles.
So what's it like inside? Well, it's pretty dark. There is a glow in the tower from the computer monitors and radar readings. Naturally, it's dark so the controllers can see what's going on outside. There's a lot of energy tonight as the controllers work with astronaut Chris Ferguson, who is flying weather reconnaissance in a Shuttle Training Aircraft, talk with mission control in Houston and coordinate other landing-related activity near the runway.

Good evening from the Shuttle Landing Facility!
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 08:30:40 PM EST

Forecasters are watching a layer of clouds above Kennedy to determine whether they violate landing rules. Capcom Rick "CJ" Sturckow told Endeavour's crew that conditions here look "promising." A final call has not been made, but the crew is on pace for a landing at 10:20 p.m. We'll let you know when the decision is made. Astronaut Chris Ferguson took off in the Shuttle Training Aircraft about 20 minutes ago and is taking an up-close look at the cloud deck.
Tonight's landing blog originates from inside the Air Traffic Control Tower at the Shuttle Landing Facility as we await Endeavour's return. We are at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Florida's Atlantic coast, which is the shuttle's primary landing site. We'll bring you a bit of the atmosphere from here as the night unfolds.

Landing Coverage Coming up at 8:30
Sun, 21 Feb 2010 07:35:26 PM EST

NASA's Landing Blog begins at 8:30 tonight to track the entry and landing for space shuttle Endeavour. The first opportunity comes at 10:20 p.m. for a landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The biggest hurdle tonight is the weather, which is forecast "no-go" at this point because of a layer of clouds about 6,000 feet above the runway. However, astronaut Chris Ferguson said during his weather reconnaissance flights that he could see through the cloud layer, so there is some optimism. So as the weather decisions unfold here tonight, we will let you know what those decisions are and some of the thinking behind them. See you at 8:30!

Landing Coverage Begins Sunday Night
Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:00:32 PM EST

Join us Sunday beginning at 8:30 p.m. EST for continuous live coverage of the return of space shuttle Endeavour and its crew of six astronauts. Our coverage will include a look back at the STS-130 mission that saw the module "Tranquility" and a windowed cupola that lets the station crew members look at the world from a perch unlike any other.