Rominger Credit - www.spacefacts.de

Personal: Male, Married, One child. Born in Del Norte, Colorado, USA. US Navy US Navy

Astronaut Career

Astronaut Group: NASA Group 14 - 1992. Inactive Entered space service: 31 March 1992. Left space service: 30 September 2006. Number of Flights: 5.00. Total Time: 67.12 days.

NAME: Kent V. Rominger (Commander, USN)

NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA:

Born August 7, 1956, in Del Norte, Colorado. Married to the former Mary Sue Rule. One child. He enjoys snow skiing, water skiing, horseback riding, and running. His parents, Mr. & Mrs. R. Vernon Rominger, reside in Del Norte, Colorado. Her parents, Mr. & Mrs. Delbert Rule, of Durango, Colorado, are deceased.

EDUCATION:

Graduated from Del Norte High School, Del Norte, Colorado, in 1974; received a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Colorado State University in 1978; a master of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1987.

ORGANIZATIONS:

Member, Society of Experimental Test Pilots, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Association of Naval Aviation, and Chi Epsilon Civil Engineering Society.

SPECIAL HONORS:

Recipient of Navy Commendation Medal, National Defense Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Expert Rifle and Pistol Medals, and various unit and service awards. Distinguished graduate, U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. NATC Test Pilot of the Year (1988). Ray E. Tenhoff Award for most outstanding presentation at 34th Annual Society of Experimental Test Pilots Symposium (1990). Top-Ten Carrier Landing Distinction in Airwings Two and Nine. West Coast Tomcat Fighter Pilot of the Year (1992).

EXPERIENCE:

Rominger received his commission through the Aviation Reserve Officer Candidate (AVROC) Program in 1979, and was designated a Naval Aviator in September 1980. Following training in the F-14 Tomcat, he was assigned to Fighter Squadron Two (VF-2) from October 1981 to January 1985 aboard the USS Ranger and USS Kitty Hawk. While assigned to VF-2 Rominger attended the Navy Fighter Weapons School (Topgun). In 1987 he completed the Naval Postgraduate School/Test Pilot School Cooperative Program, and was assigned as F-14 Project Officer to the Carrier Suitability Branch of the Strike Aircraft Test Directorate at Patuxent River, Maryland. During his tour of duty Rominger completed the initial carrier suitability sea trials of the F-14B, logging the first aircraft carrier arrestment and catapult launch in the upgraded Tomcat. In September 1990 he reported to Fighter Squadron Two Hundred Eleven (VF-211) where he served as Operations Officer and completed a Desert Storm Deployment to the Arabian Gulf aboard USS Nimitz.

He has logged over 4,500 flying hours in over 35 types of aircraft and 685 carrier landings.

NASA EXPERIENCE:

Selected by NASA in March 1992, Rominger reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1992. He completed one year of training and is qualified for assignment as a pilot on future Space Shuttle flight crews. Rominger was initially assigned to work technical issues for the Astronaut Office Operations Development Branch. A veteran of two space flights, STS-73 in 1995 and STS-80 in 1996, Rominger has logged 33 days, 13 hours, 45 minutes and 21 seconds in space. He will serve as pilot on the crew of STS-85 during Discovery's 11-day mission to study changes in the Earth's atmosphere. STS-85 is targeted for a July 1997 launch.

From October 20 to November 5, 1995, Rominger served as pilot aboard Space Shuttle Columbia on STS-73, the second United States Microgravity Laboratory mission. The mission focused on materials science, biotechnology, combustion science, the physics of fluids, and numerous scientific experiments housed in the pressurized Spacelab module. In completing his first space flight, Rominger orbited the earth 256 times, traveled over 6 million miles, and logged a total of 15 days, 21 hours, 52 minutes and 21 seconds in space.

From November 19 to December 7, 1996, Rominger served as pilot aboard Space Shuttle Columbia on STS-80. During the flight, the crew deployed and retrieved the Wake Shield Facility (WSF) and the Orbiting Retrievable Far and Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer (ORFEUS) satellites. The free-flying WSF created a super vacuum in its wake and grew thin film wafers for use in semiconductors and other high-tech electrical components. The ORFEUS instruments, mounted on the reusable Shuttle Pallet Satellite, studied the origin and makeup of stars. In completing his second spaceflight, Rominger orbited the earth a record 278 times, traveled over 7 million miles and logged 17 days, 15 hours and 53 minutes in space.

• 20 October 1995 Flight: STS-73. Flight Up: STS-73. Flight Back: STS-73. Flight Time: 15.91 days.

• 19 November 1996 Flight: STS-80. Flight Up: STS-80. Flight Back: STS-80. Flight Time: 17.66 days.

• 7 August 1997 Flight: STS-85. Flight Up: STS-85. Flight Back: STS-85. Flight Time: 11.85 days.

• 27 May 1999 Flight: STS-96. Flight Up: STS-96. Flight Back: STS-96. Flight Time: 9.80 days.

• 19 April 2001 Flight: STS-100. Flight Up: STS-100. Flight Back: STS-100. Flight Time: 11.90 days.

5 December 1992 - NASA Astronaut Training Group 14 selected.. The group was selected to provide pilot, engineer, and scientist astronauts for space shuttle flights.. Qualifications: Pilots: Bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics. Advanced degree desirable. At least 1,000 flight-hours of pilot-in-command time. Flight test experience desirable. Excellent health. Vision minimum 20/50 uncorrected, correctable to 20/20 vision; maximum sitting blood pressure 140/90. Height between 163 and 193 cm.

Mission Specialists: Bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics and minimum three years of related experience or an advanced degree. Vision minimum 20/150 uncorrected, correctable to 20/20. Maximum sitting blood pressure of 140/90. Height between 150 and 193 cm.. Four pilots and 15 mission specialists, nine civilians and ten military. Chosen from 2054 applicants, 87 of which screened in December 1991/January 1992. Five additional international astronauts.

CRISTA-SPAS was deployed by the RMS arm at 22:27 GMT on August 7 and was recaptured by Discovery's RMS arm at 15:14 GMT on August 16. Because of unfavorable weather conditions at the primary shuttle landing site at the Kennedy Space Center, Discovery was waved off for its scheduled August 18 landing. STS-85 landed the next day, at Kennedy Space Center at 11:08 GMT.

The STS-96 payload bay manifest:

• Bay 1-2: Orbiter Docking System/External Airlock
• Bay 3-4: Tunnel Adapter S/N 001
• Bay 5-7: Spacehab Tunnel
• Bay 5: Keel Yoke Device (KYD) and Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC)
• Bay 8-12: Spacehab Logistics Double Module
• Bay 13 Port: Adapter Beam (ABA) with IVHM
• Bay 13 Stbd: Adapter Beam (ABA) with SVF/Starshine
• Sill: RMS Arm S/N 303

On May 30 at 02:56 GMT Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry entered the payload bay of Discovery from the tunnel adapter hatch, and made a 7 hr 55 min space walk, transferring equipment to the exterior of the station.

On May 31 at 01:15 GMT the hatch to Unity was opened and the crew began several days of cargo transfers to the station. Battery units and communications equipment were replaced and sound insulation was added to Zarya. Discovery undocked from ISS at 22:39 GMT on June 3 into a 385 x 399 km x 51.6 degree orbit, leaving the station without a crew aboard. On June 5 the Starshine satellite was ejected from the payload bay. The payload bay doors were closed at around 02:15 GMT on June 6 and the deorbit burn was at 04:54 GMT. Discovery landed on runway 15 at Kennedy Space Center at 06:02 GMT.

Commander Kent Rominger, Pilot Rick Husband and Mission Specialists Tammy Jernigan, Ellen Ochoa, Dan Barry, Julie Payette and Valery Tokarev lifted off at 5:50 a.m. Central time following a flawless countdown. Less than nine minutes later, they reached orbit to begin their pursuit of the station.

At the time of launch, the ISS's two modules, Zarya and Unity, were traveling due east of the outer banks of the Carolinas northwest of Bermuda at an altitude of about 210 nautical miles. Discovery will catch up to the ISS late tomorrow night for the first docking of a Shuttle to the new orbital outpost. That will mark the start of six days of docked activities in which the astronauts plan to transfer almost two tons of supplies to the station and conduct a spacewalk to continue outfitting the fledgling facility.

Once on orbit, the astronauts began to activate shuttle systems and conducted early work in advance of their rendezvous with the ISS, which will begin early Friday evening. Having launched late in their workday, the astronauts are scheduled to begin an eight hour sleep period at 10:50 a.m. Central time. They will be awakened this evening about 6:50 p.m. Central time for the start of their second day in space - a day which will be highlighted by ongoing preparations for both the docking of Discovery to the station Friday night and the scheduled spacewalk by Jernigan and Barry late Saturday night.

Discovery is orbiting at altitude of about 170 nautical miles, with all of its systems functioning in good shape.

Commander Kent Rominger, Pilot Rick Husband and Mission Specialists Ellen Ochoa, Dan Barry, Julie Payette, Valery Tokarev and Jernigan will spend much of the day checking out orbiter systems and spacewalking equipment, while continuing to slowly close in on the station through a series of calculated rendezvous maneuvers.

The crew will examine and prepare the tools required to support rendezvous and docking operations, and later will spend a number of hours checking and testing the extravehicular mobility units, or space suits, that will be used during the planned spacewalk Saturday night into Sunday morning. Both suits are checked far enough ahead of the spacewalk to ensure good working condition in plenty of time to allow for any required troubleshooting work by the specialists on the ground.

Also tonight and into tomorrow, Canadian astronaut Payette will assist Ochoa in testing the mechanical arm, checking its operation while conducting a video survey of the payload bay. This procedure will make certain the arm is functioning properly to support the spacewalk. Just before the pre-sleep period, Tokarev, a Russian cosmonaut will move some logistics transfer items stored on the shuttle's middeck, into the Spacehab module to provide more room for the spacesuit checkout activities.

Discovery currently is orbiting at an altitude of about 200 nautical miles. At about 7 o'clock this evening, Central time, the shuttle was 775 nautical miles behind the station, closing in at a rate of about 60 nautical miles every 90 minutes.

The only problem of any significance on the orbiter is the apparent failure of one of the four corner cameras in Discovery's payload bay. This poses no problem with the flight as there are various other cameras available to document activities related to docking, the spacewalk and deploy later in the flight of STARSHINE.

In preparation for Saturday's spacewalk, astronauts Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry, assisted by Payette and Pilot Rick Husband, successfully tested three spacesuits aboard Discovery. All of the equipment was found to be in excellent condition and ready for the spacewalk, during which Jernigan and Barry will install both U.S. and Russian-built cranes to the station for use by future astronaut construction crews.

Ochoa and Payette also tested the Shuttle's 50-foot robot arm and used it to conduct a television survey of Discovery's payload bay. Jernigan and Ochoa extended the outer ring of Discovery's Orbiter Docking System in a successful test of the mechanism which will make the first contact with and capture a similar mechanism in the Pressurized Mating Adapter affixed to the ISS's Unity.

Before beginning their presleep period, the astronauts lowered Discovery's cabin pressure as a precursor to Jernigan and Barry breathing pure oxygen tomorrow night in advance of their spacewalk. This protocol helps to purge nitrogen from their bloodstreams, preventing any adverse effects from the vacuum of space during their excursion into Discovery's payload bay.

The crew will begin an abbreviated 7 ½ hour sleep period at 8:50 a.m. Central time today and will be awakened at 4:20 p.m. to begin preparations for rendezvous and docking.

Discovery is orbiting at an altitude of 230 statute miles, with all of its systems operating normally.

Rominger will then begin to descend toward the station and, at about 10:37 p.m. Central, hold position at a point about 170 feet away. Rominger will stationkeep at that distance for about 15 minutes to allow the station to move within range of Russian ground communications stations before continuing the approach. At 11:13 p.m., Rominger will again briefly hold position at a point about 30 feet from the station to ensure the Shuttle and station docking mechanisms are precisely aligned. Docking is expected about 11 minutes later with the Shuttle contacting the station at a slow rate of about a tenth of a foot per second.

During the rendezvous, Pilot Rick Husband will assist Rominger in controlling Discovery's approach. Mission Specialists Tammy Jernigan and Ellen Ochoa also will assist with the rendezvous and docking, with Jernigan operating the Shuttle's docking mechanism and Ochoa assisting with the rendezvous navigation.

After docking, Ochoa and Jernigan will perform a hatch leak check. Later, Mission Specialists Dan Barry, Jernigan and Canadian astronaut Julie Payette will prepare the middeck for Saturday's spacewalk. Discovery's crew will not open the hatch to the Unity module and enter the station until Sunday, a day after the spacewalk is completed.

Space station flight controllers planned to command the station into the orientation for docking - Unity toward space and the Zarya module toward Earth - at about 7 p.m. Central to prepare for Discovery's arrival.

Commander Kent Rominger nudged Discovery to the docking with the ISS following a flawless rendezvous. Once a hard mate was established between the two vehicles, the astronauts began to perform leak checks and pressurization checks prior to opening the hatch to the Pressurized Mating Adapter attached to the Unity module. Discovery docked to Unity's Pressurized Mating Adapter # 2, which was pointed to deep space during the final phase of the rendezvous and approach to the station by the shuttle.

The astronauts will begin an eight-hour sleep period at 8:50am Central time this morning and will be awakened just before 5pm this afternoon to begin preparations for the spacewalk by Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry late tonight to install additional equipment to the outside of the ISS.

Commander Kent Rominger completed a textbook rendezvous and docking with the station that Mission Control said would set the standard for future ISS assembly flights. Contact between Discovery and the station occurred right on time at 11:24 p.m. Central time Friday.

Once the two spacecraft were solidly mated together at 11:39 p.m., the astronauts performed leak and pressurization checks, then opened the hatch to Pressurized Mating Adapter 2, attached to the Unity module. Mission Specialists Ellen Ochoa and Valery Tokarev temporarily stowed docking targets and lights and checked hatch seals in the narrow passageway.

Rominger and Pilot Rick Husband removed and stowed four electronics boxes used to supply power to the docking ports around the Unity module, clearing the sides of the passageway into Unity for easy transfer of some 3,600 pounds of equipment and supplies. The briefcase-sized boxes will be kept in storage until the end of the next station assembly flight on STS-101 in December, when they will be reinstalled to prepare for the arrival of the U.S. Laboratory module, Destiny, next spring.

Mission Specialists Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry spent the rest of the morning checking the tools they will use on their space walk, which is scheduled to begin shortly after 10 p.m. Central time. They also checked out their emergency rescue backpacks and reviewed their space walk procedures one last time.

The astronauts will be awakened at 4:50 p.m. today to begin final preparations for the 6 ½ hour excursion into Discovery's cargo bay. With Mission Specialist Ellen Ochoa operating the shuttle's robot arm to maneuver Jernigan up toward the space station modules, and Julie Payette acting as the spacewalk choreographer from Discovery's aft flight deck, Barry and Jernigan will move the two cranes from a payload bay cargo support structure to locations on the outside of the station. One crane is U.S.-built and the other is Russian-built to help move large modular components from one module to another during ISS assembly. Next, they will move two portable foot restraints from the cargo carrier to the mating adapter to which the Zarya and Unity modules are attached. Then, they'll move three bags containing handrails and tools for future space walkers to the outside of Unity. If time permits, the space walkers also will install a thermal cover on a Unity trunnion pin, inspect some peeling paint on Zarya, and survey one of two Early Communications System antennas on the starboard side of Unity.

The space walkers are scheduled to reenter the hatch about 4 a.m. Central time Sunday.

Meanwhile, all systems aboard the Discovery / ISS space complex continue to work well as the two craft orbit 240 statute miles above the Earth's surface.

Mission Specialists Tammy Jernigan and Russian Space Agency cosmonaut Valery Tokarev opened the hatch into the Unity module at 8:14 p.m. CDT Sunday, then continued through Pressurized Mating Adapter 1 into the Zarya module at 9:07 p.m. Commander Kent Rominger and the rest of the crew - Pilot Rick Husband and Mission Specialists Ellen Ochoa, Dan Barry and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette - soon followed.

After inspecting their expanded living quarters, the crew began transferring supplies, equipment and water that will be left aboard, an effort that was coordinated by Ochoa. The bulk of the supplies and equipment were shipped up in a double Spacehab module carried in Discovery's cargo bay.

Payette and Tokarev replaced 12 of 18 battery recharge controllers in the Russian-built Zarya module. Zarya has six batteries, which have been experiencing a slight loss in capacity during recharge. Each battery has three "charge controllers," known by the Russian acronym MIRTS. The astronauts replaced controllers for four of the batteries, and are scheduled to replace the recharge controllers for the other two later today. The work was carefully coordinated with flight controllers in the Russian Mission Control Center outside Moscow, who issued commands to turn the battery systems on and off via ground-based communication stations. Barry and Tokarev also installed a series of "mufflers" over fans inside Zarya to reduce noise levels in that module.

Barry and Husband replaced a power distribution unit and transceiver for the Early Communications System in the Unity module, restoring that system to its full capability. This supplemental communications system enables flight controllers to send commands to the station from the Mission Control complex in Houston.

Near the end of their workday, Rominger, Jernigan and Barry discussed the progress of their mission, including Jernigan and Barry's space walk and last night's entry into the International Space Station, with NBC's "Today," show, CBS "This Morning" and CNN.

The crew is scheduled to begin its sleep period at 8:20 a.m. CDT, and will awaken at 4:20 p.m. to continue their work in the ISS.

Today, most of the crew will be involved in logistics transfer activities within the Discovery/ISS orbiting complex. Husband and Mission Specialists Ellen Ochoa, Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry have a significant portion of their day dedicated to moving transfer bags of different sizes and shapes from the Spacehab module in Discovery's cargo bay to resting places inside the International Space Station. Some 2,900 pounds of logistics items and water will be transferred before the crew bids goodbye to its orbiting work site on Thursday.

Discovery's crew will also complete maintenance activities in support of the station. Early in the workday, Russian cosmonaut Valery Tokarev and Canadian astronaut Julie Payette will change out the last battery recharge controller modules attached to two of Zarya's storage batteries. These recharging units, also known as microelectronic charge/discharge current integrator units, determine the battery charge level. Since mid-April, flight controllers had been monitoring a slight decrease in this level, and the on-orbit maintenance work is expected to allow the batteries to charge fully once again.

Later, Barry and Tokarev will put the remaining sound mufflers inside the Zarya module. Ambient noise from air circulating fans and equipment could be somewhat distracting to crew members spending time on orbit, so mufflers are being installed to dampen the noise. After the install, Barry will measure sound levels at different positions inside the module.

At 12:20 a.m. Tuesday, Commander Kent Rominger and Tokarev will conduct a news conference with Russian media located at the Mission Control Center in Moscow.

The day will end with a logistics transfer briefing conducted by Payette. The crew is scheduled to turn in at about 8 a.m. CDT Tuesday.

Discovery and the International Space Station are in excellent health orbiting 240 miles above the Earth.

Logistics transfer activities will dominate the on-orbit day as all crew members will moves supplies from the Spacehab module to designated locations in the International Space Station. By the end of docked operations, Discovery's crew will have transferred almost 3,000 pounds of items, including clothing, sleeping bags, water, medical support equipment, maintenance spares and computer support and maintenance equipment into the orbiting complex to support future resident crews. This transfer effort is being managed by Mission Specialist Ellen Ochoa is managing this effort while Payette stands ready inside the station to receive the goods. At the start of today's work, the transfer was about 70 percent complete.

Payette and Commander Kent Rominger exchanged greetings and discussed the mission with Canada's Prime Minister Jean Cretien and Science Minister John Manley and also answered questions from students across Canada.

Later, at 11:00 p.m. CDT on NASA TV, the entire crew will answer questions from both U.S. and Canadian reporters.

Finally, at 4:20 a.m. Wednesday, Rominger, Pilot Rick Husband and Ochoa will be interviewed by Good Morning America, KFDA-TV in Amarillo, Texas and KUSA-TV in Denver, Colorado. Rominger is a native of Del Norte, Colorado and Husband is a native of Amarillo, Texas.

Near the end of the day, Ochoa again will conduct a transfer status briefing with the ground to confirm the day's completed transfer tasks. The astronauts will begin an eight-hour sleep period at 7:50 a.m. Wednesday and wake up to begin Flight Day Eight at 3:50 p.m.

Discovery and the International Space Station are in excellent health orbiting 240 miles above the Earth.

Mission Specialist Ellen Ochoa, the "load master" of this resupply mission, radioed to Mission Control that many of the larger items to be transferred to the new station, such as laptop computers and clothing, had made their way from Discovery to the ISS. At the time the astronauts prepared to go to sleep, well over 50 per cent of all planned transfers were complete.

Early in the crew's workday, Russian cosmonaut Valery Tokarev and Canadian astronaut Julie Payette changed out the final six battery recharge controller units for two of Zarya's power-producing batteries. The new recharging units are expected to allow the batteries to charge and discharge properly once again. They had experienced difficulty soon after Zarya's launch last November. Twelve of the units were replaced late Sunday.

Dan Barry and Tokarev continued the installation of mufflers inside Zarya to help dampen sound levels in the Russian module. Commander Kent Rominger sent down a video inspection of the mufflers installed on portions of the air circulating duct work, explaining that the mufflers are causing some of the flexible ductwork to collapse. Flight controllers believe that humidity levels inside Zarya are at an acceptable level even though they are a bit higher than predicted because of some restriction to air flow in the module. Additional muffler and humidity reduction work likely will be conducted by the astronauts late tonight.

Rominger and Tokarev took time out to answer questions regarding the progress of the flight from Russian reporters located at the Russian Mission Control Center outside Moscow.

The astronauts will begin an eight-hour sleep period at 7:50 a.m. Central time, with a wake-up call scheduled for 3:50 p.m. to begin their seventh day of work in space.

Discovery and the International Space Station are in excellent health orbiting 240 miles above the Earth.

The crew was awakened at 3:50 this afternoon by the Russian song "Vasha Blagarodye" followed by "The Charleston." The tunes were played for cosmonaut Valery Tokarev and Mission Specialist Ellen Ochoa.

The early part of the evening includes the completion of transfer activities. By day's end, the crew will have transferred a total of 115 items totaling 3,718 pounds of equipment both inside and outside the space station. Those numbers include seven containers of water totaling about 84 gallons for use by future station crews.

Ochoa and Canadian astronaut Julie Payette will use the shuttle's robot arm one last time this evening to conduct a survey of the port side antenna for the Early Communications System on Unity. This survey will complete robotic arm tasks scheduled earlier in the flight.

Once that is completed, the crew will begin closing the hatches that were opened after Discovery docked with the station earlier this week. The crew will climb out of Zarya at about 12:30 a.m. central time Thursday and will move out of the Unity module at about 2:50 a.m., closing the final hatch at about 3:30 a.m.

Commander Kent Rominger and Pilot Rick Husband will begin boosting the station's altitude at about 4:30 tomorrow morning using the Reaction Control System thrusters on the orbiter. The 40-minute activity will raise the complex's altitude by about 6 miles (statute). Undocking from the International Space Station is not scheduled until late Thursday afternoon at about 5:40 p.m.

Pilot Rick Husband backed Discovery away after astronaut Tammy Jernigan commanded the shuttle's docking mechanism to release the station. Springs in the mechanism provided an initial push, and then Husband fired Discovery's jets to move to a distance of about 400 feet before beginning a two and a half-circle flyaround. Discovery spent 5 days, 18 hours and 17 minutes linked to the station.

The crew awakened this afternoon to Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" in anticipation of Discovery's departure from the International Space Station. Atlantis will be the next shuttle to visit the station on a December supply mission, after the Russian launch this fall of an unpiloted living quarters that will automatically dock with the modules. The Service Module, now named Zvezda, which is the Russian word for 'Star,' is undergoing its final months of processing at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, prior to launch atop a Proton rocket.

After the flyaround, Husband fired Discovery's jets at about 7:53 p.m. Central to depart the station's vicinity. The engine firing sent the Shuttle below and ahead of the station, separating at a rate of about seven nautical miles with each orbit of Earth. Later this evening the crew will transfer the spacesuits used earlier in the flight to storage locations in the shuttle's airlock. Commander Kent Rominger will repressurize Discovery's cabin to about 14.7 pounds per square inch, a pressure identical to sea level on Earth. The cabin was depressurized slightly yesterday as part of the normal procedure for sealing hatches within the International Space Station. The crew will have time off for the last half of its day.

After Discovery has left the vicinity, station flight controllers will maneuver the complex into the standard orientation for unpiloted operations, a fuel-conserving slow spin with the Unity module pointed toward Earth and Zarya toward space. Discovery's crew will begin an eight-hour sleep period at 7:50 a.m. Central Friday and awaken at 3:50 p.m.

After moving the last items from Discovery into the station, the crew closed the final hatch on the orbiting outpost at 3:44 a.m. CDT. The astronauts spent a total of 79 hours, 30 minutes inside the station during this flight. Combined with the 28 hours, 30 minutes the STS-88 astronauts spent on board during the first ISS assembly flight last December, the total human occupation time for the new station stands at 108 hours.

During four days of transfer work, the astronauts moved more than 4,500 pounds of equipment, hardware and supplies intended for the station's first resident crew. Of that total weight, 3,567 pounds of material, including 686 pounds of water, were transferred from Discovery to the station; 18 items weighing 197 pounds were moved from the station to Discovery for a return to Earth; and 662 pounds of supplies were mounted to the station during a spacewalk by astronauts Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry.

The crew began its carefully choreographed departure from the station, first closing Zarya's Instrumentation Cargo Compartment hatch at 1:40 a.m. Central time. The Pressurized Adapter Hatch was closed at 2:12 a.m., and the final hatch closure on Unity was complete at 3:44 a.m. Shortly after 4:30 this morning, Commander Kent Rominger and Pilot Rick Husband commanded a series of 17 pulses of Discovery's reaction control system jets to boost the station's orbit. When the reboost was complete about 37 minutes later, the station and shuttle were in an orbit of approximately 246 by 241 statute miles, within 57 feet of the original target. Flight controllers estimate the station will be at an altitude of 222 statute miles late this year when Zvezda is scheduled to be launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Discovery is scheduled to undock from the station at 5:39 p.m. Central time today and will perform a 2 ½ lap flyaround of the station, before Husband fires Discovery's jets in a final burst to move Discovery away from the station, concluding six days of docked operations.

The astronauts begin an eight-hour sleep period at 7:50 a.m. today, and will awaken at 2:50 p.m.

Discovery undocked from ISS at 5:39 p.m. central time yesterday, having delivered more than two tons of water, supplies and equipment to the space station.

As Discovery departed from the station, Mission Specialists Tammy Jernigan and Dan Barry packed away the space suit gear they used during their spacewalk early in the mission, while Commander Kent Rominger and Pilot Rick Husband practiced landings on a laptop computer program. Mission Specialists Julie Payette and Valery Tokarev helped to stow gear and repressurized the shuttle's cabin to its standard 14.7 pounds per square inch.

Once they are awakened at 3:50 this afternoon, the astronauts will focus on preparing for a Sunday landing at the Kennedy Space Center. Rominger, Husband and Mission Specialist Ellen Ochoa will conduct a test to verify the performance of Discovery's steering jets. They also will activate one of three hydraulic power units to move the various aerosurfaces that will be used to control Discovery during its reentry and landing. The crew also will prepare to deploy a small, student-built payload called STARSHINE. The Student Tracked Atmospheric Research Satellite for Heuristic International Networking Equipment satellite will be ejected from a canister in Discovery's payload bay at 2:10 a.m. Saturday by Payette. STARSHINE is a 19-inch hollow sphere covered by about 800 aluminum mirrors polished to a high shine by students around the world. International student observers will visually track the reflective spacecraft during the early morning and twilight hours for several months, measuring the atmosphere's density based on the rate at which STARSHINE's orbit decays.

Discovery has two Sunday landing opportunities on Kennedy Space Center's Runway 15. The first would begin with a deorbit burn at 11:54 p.m. CDT Saturday, and end with a landing at 1:03 a.m. Sunday. The second calls for a deorbit burn at 1:30 a.m. CDT Sunday, with landing at 2:38 a.m. The weather forecast calls for generally acceptable conditions.

After the wakeup call from Mission Control, the song "Good Morning Starshine," in recognition of the early morning deploy of the spherical-shaped, mirror-covered STARSHINE satellite. Students on Earth will use changes in the orbit of the highly reflective satellite to calculate the density of the earth's atmosphere throughout the projected 8 months that the 19-inch diameter satellite will remain in orbit. More than 25,000 students from 18 countries are participating in the project.

Before the crew deploys STARSHINE from a small canister in the payload bay, however, the crew will ready Discovery for the return home by testing the aero surfaces on the wings and tail, as well as the small steering jets to ensure their health to support reentry and landing activities Saturday night into Sunday morning. These checkouts are routinely done the day before the shuttle is scheduled to return home.

There currently are two landing opportunities at the Kennedy Space Center Sunday. For the first, Commander Kent Rominger would fire Discovery's braking rockets Saturday evening at 11:54 p.m. CDT and land at the Shuttle Landing Facility at 1:02 a.m. Sunday. The second landing opportunity is about an hour and a half later 2:38 a.m. This will be the 11th night landing for the shuttle program (five previously at Edwards AFB, Calif., and five at KSC). Weather forecasters predict favorable conditions for landing with a chance of developing rain showers. Based on that, landing support will only be called in for support in Florida.

In and around landing preparations and the STARSHINE deploy, the crew will stow all equipment used throughout the mission.

Weather permitting, Discovery's computers will ignite the twin breaking rockets on the tail just before midnight to slow the vehicle toward a descent through the atmosphere high above the Pacific Ocean. The ground track shows the orbiter navigating its way to its seaside home at the Kennedy Space Center from the south after crossing Costa Rica, Cuba, the Florida Everglades, and East of Lake Okechobee.

The forecast for landing still shows a chance of rain within 30 miles of the runway and a possibility of crosswind violations on the 3-mile-long concrete Shuttle Landing Facility. The runway of choice for tonight's landing is Runway 15. The final turn to align the shuttle with the runway would be out over the water with landing from the northwest to the southeast. If landing is delayed one orbit, touchdown one orbit later at 2:38 a.m. CDT.

Following crew wakeup at 4 p.m. today, the astronauts began the final preparations for landing, including closing the hatches to the Spacehab module, which has served as the cargo transfer compartment throughout the flight. The wakeup music was "The Longest Day," to commemorate what spacecraft communicator in Mission Control Mario Runco called a "landing of a different kind." His reference was to the 55th anniversary of the Allied troop landing on the beaches of Normandy during World War II that occurred on June 6, 1944.

If all goes as planned, Discovery's cargo bay doors will swing shut at 9:18 p.m., after which the astronauts will climb into their launch and entry suits and strap into their seats. Commander Kent Rominger, Pilot Rick Husband and Flight Engineer Ellen Ochoa will be joined on the flight deck for entry by Mission Specialist Julie Payette. Tammy Jernigan, Dan Barry and Valery Tokarev will be seated down on the middeck for entry.

If landing occurs on the first opportunity, Discovery will have covered 3.8 million miles during the mission. STS-96 will be the 11th shuttle mission to end in darkness. Five previous flights have ended at Edwards AFB in California and five at KSC.

Mission Specialist Julie Payette of the Canadian Space Agency deployed the spherical, mirror-covered STARSHINE satellite at 2:31 a.m. CDT. The satellite rose slowly out of its payload bay and entered an orbit two miles below Discovery. At 6 a.m. CDT, the two spacecraft were 26 miles apart, with the distance between them widening by 10 miles each orbit.

STARSHINE project officials at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center report they have already been able to see the bright satellite. More than 25,000 students from 18 countries are participating in the project. As the students track the satellite - which is visible to the naked eye - they will calculate the density of the Earth's upper atmosphere by recording changes in STARSHINE'S orbit. The satellite is expected to remain aloft for about 8 months, re-entering the atmosphere in January.

Earlier in the day, the shuttle crew successfully verified the performance of Discovery's small steering jets and flight control surfaces, ensuring their readiness to support landing. The crew also tested all the necessary communications channels, and stowed away some of the equipment and hardware used on board over the past several days.

With favorable weather conditions forecast for the primary landing site, mission managers decided not to activate the back-up landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California. There are two landing opportunities at the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday. For the first, Commander Kent Rominger would fire Discovery's engines in a deorbit burn at 11:54 p.m. Saturday with a landing following at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility at 1:03 a.m. Sunday. The second landing opportunity calls for a deorbit burn at 1:30 a.m. Sunday, resulting in a landing at 2:38 a.m. This will be the 11th night landing for the shuttle program.

Meanwhile the International Space Station continues to circle the globe at an altitude of 246 miles, trailing Discovery by 210 miles, with the distance increasing 10 miles each orbit.

Discovery swooped out of darkness as Commander Kent Rominger set the shuttle and his crewmates down on Runway 15 at the Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida to successfully complete the first shuttle mission of the year.

Rominger and Pilot Rick Husband fired Discovery's orbital maneuvering system engines just before midnight Saturday over Thailand to enable the spaceship to drop out of orbit for its high speed return to Earth.

Traveling in an almost due northerly ground track, Discovery crossed over Costa Rica, the southern Caribbean, northwest Cuba, and the Florida Everglades before honing in on the Kennedy Space Center for the 18th consecutive landing at the Florida spaceport.

Rominger and Husband were joined on the flight deck for entry and landing by Flight Engineer Ellen Ochoa and Mission Specialist Julie Payette, while Mission Specialists Tammy Jernigan, Dan Barry and Valery Tokarev were seated down in the middeck.

After landing, Discovery's astronauts were scheduled to undergo routine medical exams and be reunited with their families before spending the rest of the day relaxing in Florida.

The crew is expected to return to Houston early Monday afternoon, with their crew arrival at Ellington Field planned for about 1:30 p.m. The STS-96 crew's return to Ellington is open to the public.

After carefully watching cloud cover at Edwards and getting observations from Astronaut Kent Rominger flying weather reconnaissance, entry flight director LeRoy Cain decided about 3:30 p.m. CDT to wave-off the first attempt, which would have seen a landing at 4:58 p.m. CDT. Landing on second attempt would have been at Edwards at 6:35 p.m. The decision for the second wave-off came at 4:27 p.m.

Landing criteria call for no rain within 30 miles of the runway. Showers were observed on the edge of that circle, and forecasters continued to predict unacceptable conditions.

Discovery will have two opportunities to land at KSC Tuesday, though weather there is predicted to be unacceptable. Discovery is not expected to attempt a landing on the first opportunity, at 12:52 p.m. CDT. They will look at the second opportunity, for 2:28 p.m. Edwards weather is predicted to be acceptable. The first landing opportunity there would see a burn of the orbital maneuvering engines at 2:54 p.m. CDT and a landing at 3:59 p.m. The second has a deorbit burn at 4:31 p.m. and a landing at 5:35 p.m.

For the second consecutive day, the crew performed "deorbit backout" procedures after the last wave-off, undoing the preparations they had made to come home. And again, flight controllers in Houston will work through the night and into Tuesday morning to develop a re-entry strategy.

Discovery's crew will go to bed tonight shortly after 9 p.m. and be awakened tomorrow at 5:17 a.m. to once again begin preparations for a return trip home.

Minor issues being worked by the crew and flight control teams in Houston and Moscow are not impacting the operation and health of the complex, but are occupying time of engineers in preparing troubleshooting procedures for items on board.

The activation of the station's Ku-Band antenna is on standby until procedures are put in place for a possible software patch to account for an apparent pointing error with the dish-shaped antenna. The Ku Band system is used to transmit television, voice and high-speed data to the ground. Normal communication is being managed through the S-Band audio system. Any required TV images, in the meantime, can be accommodated through the use of the laptop computer-based digital video system. Until that problem is corrected, transmission of experiment data from the Human Research Facility experiment rack in the Destiny laboratory is on hold.

A Destiny condensate venting system is not working and while troubleshooting continues, the thermal loop temperatures have been increased so that no water currently is being condensed. As a point of verification, a contingency water container has proven to be useful in serving as a storage location for condensate, if required.

In and around maintenance tasks and routine housekeeping chores, the crew has been busy setting up additional equipment and conducting status checks on some of the payloads. A new bicycle exercise machine called CEVIS (for Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation System) was setup this week, while engineers assess the work needed to repair the station's treadmill, which is showing wear in many of the slats that provide support to the unit designed to allow exercise with little or no vibration that could impact sensitive experiment work.

The Progress supply craft docked to the Zvezda module delivered 89 kilograms of oxidizer to the service module's storage tanks via remote commanding from the ground. The Progress will be undocked from the station in mid-April in preparation for the arrival of the next shuttle flight carrying the station's Canadian-built robot arm and another Italian Space Agency supplied logistics module called Raffaello.

The Progress undocking provides an open port for the relocation of the Soyuz capsule around April 16-18 which will provide clearance for the placement of Raffaello during the shuttle mission, which launches April 19.

Later this week the Expedition Two crew is scheduled to perform some maintenance work in an attempt to get the carbon-dioxide removal assembly in Destiny working. The plan calls for a test of a cable to ensure it is working before changing the pump with a spare brought up on the most recent shuttle flight. As of now, with only three people onboard, carbon dioxide removal from the cabin air is adequately conducted by Zvezda's Vozdukh system.

The crew plans to take part in its first interview opportunity on Friday with reporters from CBS and the Associated Press at 10 a.m. CST Friday. The interview will be broadcast on NASA TV, but will be audio only.

Meanwhile down at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the crew of shuttle mission STS-100 is conducting its traditional countdown dress rehearsal in preparation for launch to the ISS April 19. The international crew consists of Commander Kent Rominger, Pilot Jeff Ashby, Flight Engineer John Phillips, Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, European astronaut Umberto Guidoni and Russian Aviation and Space Agency cosmonaut Yuri Lonchakov.

The International Space Station continues to orbit the Earth in good shape at an altitude of 238 statute miles (384 km).

• Bay 1-2: Orbiter Docking System, External Airlock, 3 EMU spacesuits - 2160 kg including 360 kg for the 3 suits
• Bay 3 Starboard: Adapter Beam with DCSU switching unit - 180kg
• Bay 5: Spacelab Pallet with Canadarm-2 SSRMS (Space Station Remote Manipulator System, 1800 kg mass), LDA, and 56 kg UHF antenna - 3256 kg
• Bay 6 Port: Adapter Beam with IMAX Camera - 238 kg
• Bay 8-12: Rafaello Module (MPLM-2) with MPLM racks and 3400 kg cargo - 7500 kg
• Sill: Canadarm RMS 303 - 410 kg

On 23 April the SSRMS station manipulator was unberthed from the SLP Spacelab pallet at 1114 GMT and latched on to the PDGF fixture on the Destiny ISS module at 1416 GMT. This was followed at 1458 GMT with the MPLM-2 Raffaello module being moved from Endeavour's payload bay by the Shuttle's RMS and berthed to the nadir port on the ISS Unity module at 1600 GMT. Over the next few days, the cargo racks on the MPLM were transferred to Destiny. Raffaello was then unberthed from Unity at 2003 GMT on April 27 and reberthed in the rear of Endeavour's bay for return to earth at 2059 GMT.

Undocking of Endeavour was delayed by a series of computer problems at the Station. Failures in the Station's command and control computers left only one of the three computers operating.

They were all restarted by April 29, and the Shuttle RMS grappled the Spacelab pallet at 2044 GMT . The station's Canadarm-2 released it at 2106 GMT, and the RMS berthed the pallet back in the Shuttle cargo bay. Endeavour undocked from the Station at 1734 GMT on April 29. The weather in Florida was bad at the planned May 1 landing time, so Endeavour landed in California. The deorbit burn was at 1502 GMT on May 1, with landing at 1610:42 GMT on runway 22 at Edwards. Endeavour returned to the Kennedy Space Center atop a Boeing 747 SCA aircraft on May 9.

Commander Kent Rominger, Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency, John Phillips, Scott Parazynski, Umberto Guidoni of the European Space Agency and Yuri Lonchakov of Rosaviakosmos blasted off on time from Launch Pad 39-A at 1:41 p.m. Central time as the ISS sailed over the Indian Ocean south of India. Aboard the station, Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms were told of Endeavour's launch as it lifted off from the pad. Approximately 20 minutes later, the three crew members took a few minutes out from routine maintenance work and preparations for Endeavour's arrival to watch a video feed of the launch uplinked to them by ISS flight controllers in Houston through the station's KU-band communications system.

Less than nine minutes after launch, Endeavour had reached its preliminary orbit and began its pursuit of the station for a docking Saturday morning. The seven astronauts began to configure systems for on-orbit operations and opened the shuttle's cargo bay doors before the start of an eight-hour sleep period tonight at 6:41 p.m. Central time.

Aboard the ISS, all systems continue to function normally as Usachev, Voss and Helms ready the complex for their first visitors since beginning their expedition one month ago. On Monday, a Russian Progress resupply vehicle was jettisoned from the aft docking port of the Zvezda module, enabling the station crew to undock its Soyuz return capsule from the nadir port of the Zarya module yesterday and fly it to a redocking with Zvezda in a 21-minute maneuver. That cleared the Zarya docking port for the arrival of the Soyuz rotation "taxi" crew at the ISS later this month. The taxi crew will deliver a fresh Soyuz capsule for the Expedition crew members' use as an emergency return vehicle. The Soyuz vehicles need to be rotated approximately every six months.

Hadfield and Parazynski are scheduled to venture outside Endeavour Sunday for the first of two scheduled space walks to unfold the huge booms of the 57-foot-long Canadarm2 and to route power to the device, which will be mounted on the Destiny Laboratory for future station assembly work. Canadarm2 is scheduled to "walk off" its pallet and attach itself to a grapple fixture on Destiny Monday, where it will receive power, data and commanding from the Expedition crew operating at robotic workstations inside Destiny.

Housed in Endeavour's cargo bay is the Italian Space Agency-provided Raffaello cargo module, which is carrying several tons of equipment for the Expedition Two crew and racks of hardware for installation in Destiny which will be used for scientific research in the future. Raffaello, which is the second of three such logistics modules, will be berthed to the ISS Monday so its contents can be transferred to the station throughout the course of docked operations.

Endeavour is circling the Earth in excellent shape as it flies in an orbit inclined 51.6 degrees to either side of the Equator.

Endeavour is scheduled to dock with the station at 8:36 Saturday morning to deliver the Canadian built high tech robotic arm, called Canadarm2 and the Raffaello Multipurpose Logistics Module supplied to the program by the Italian Space Agency. Raffaello contains equipment and supplies for the station and its crew of Commander Yury Usachev, and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms. It also brings two new experiment racks for the station's U.S. laboratory Destiny.

The Endeavour crew, Commander Kent Rominger, Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency, John Phillips, Scott Parazynski, Umberto Guidoni of the European Space Agency and Yuri Lonchakov of Rosaviakosmos were awakened at 2:41 a.m. Friday by "Then the Morning Comes" by the musical group Smashmouth. It was chosen for Phillips, making his first spaceflight.

Today the shuttle crew will checkout three spacesuits and the orbiter's robotic arm while rendezvous preparations include installation of the centerline camera and extension of Endeavour's Orbital Docking System ring. Another rendezvous engine burn is scheduled shortly before the crew finishes today's activities.

Space station crewmembers also will get ready for the rendezvous. Later today they will prepare equipment for transfer to the shuttle shortly after docking.

Endeavour will bring the first visitors to the Expedition Two crew since Discovery's departure last month. Shortly after Endeavour's scheduled undocking and departure from the station on April 28, a taxi crew is to arrive with a new Soyuz spacecraft. It will replace the Soyuz, which launched the first crew toward the station on Oct. 31, 2000. The Soyuz capsule has an on-orbit life of about six months.

Hadfield and Parazynski will conduct two spacewalks on Sunday and Tuesday. The first will focus on installation of the 2-ton, 57-foot-long Canadarm2. The second is devoted to checkout of the arm that will be instrumental in future space station assembly.

Major systems aboard Endeavour and the International Space Station continue to function well.

Endeavour is scheduled to dock with the station at 8:32 a.m. Saturday although the crews will not greet each other until early Monday. In preparation for tomorrow's rendezvous and docking, Hadfield and Parazynski checked out the tools and hardware that will be used during Endeavour's approach to the station, and Commander Kent Rominger and Pilot Jeff Ashby installed a center-line camera in the orbiter docking system.

Rominger, Ashby and Flight Engineer John Phillips performed another in a series of engine firings to refine Endeavour's approach to the Station. As of 5 p.m., Endeavour was approximately 1,400 miles behind and below the station, and closing that distance at the rate of about 171 miles every orbit of the Earth. Hadfield and Parazynski also verified the operation of the spacesuits they will wear on two scheduled space walks to install and activate the new Canadarm2 robotic arm.

European Space Agency astronaut Umberto Guidoni began preparations for the transfer of hardware and material from Endeavour to the station and worked with Ashby in checking out the shuttle's robotic arm to verify its operation. Yuri Lonchakov of Rosaviakosmos worked on the middeck and filled two large water containers for later transfer to the station.

Endeavour's astronauts will go to sleep at 5:41 p.m. today, awakening at 1:41 a.m. Saturday. They will quickly begin the final stages of their chase of the International Space Station. The final intercept burn is scheduled for 6:13 a.m., with docking at 8:32 a.m., as the two spacecraft fly overhead the Southeast coast of China, northeast of Victoria, Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, on the space station, Expedition 2 Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Susan Helms and Jim Voss continued packing return items and making sure their orbiting home is ready for the crew's first visitors. Flight controllers report that the Russian segment's carbon dioxide removal system is not working at its highest rate, probably due to a clogged filter screen. The situation poses no problems for the upcoming shuttle visit, but could lead to increased use of backup lithium hydroxide removal systems after the shuttle undocks and additional crew members arrive on a Soyuz taxi flight. The station crew may be asked do some repairs on the unit on Saturday.

Otherwise, all major systems aboard Endeavour and the International Space Station continue to function well.

Before the undocking a week later, two space walks will have been conducted and Raffaello, the second Multipurpose Logistics Module provided by the Italian Space Agency, will have been unloaded and reloaded after berthing to the station. The pressurized cargo carrier - an orbital moving van - is bringing food, equipment and other supplies, as well as two scientific experiment racks for the U.S. laboratory Destiny.

Endeavour will approach the station from behind and below. Commander Kent Rominger and Pilot Jeff Ashby, assisted by the rest of the crew, will fly the shuttle to a point about 600 feet directly below the station. With the cargo bay pointed toward the station, they will fly a quarter circle to a point about 300 feet ahead of the station. From there they will begin a slow approach to the docking port at the forward end of Destiny. Stationkeeping will begin at a distance of about 30 feet to ensure a good alignment with the station's docking target before Rominger resumes the approach at a speed of about one foot every 10 seconds until docking.

Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone" awakened Endeavour's crew - Rominger, Ashby and Mission Specialists Chris Hadfield, John Phillips, Scott Parazynski, Umberto Guidoni and Yuri Lonchakov - early this morning. The song from the Top Gun soundtrack was played for Rominger.

The space station's crew was awakened shortly after 2 a.m. to make final preparations for the shuttle's arrival. The Expedition Two crew of Russian Commander Yury Usachev and astronauts Jim Voss and Susan Helms has been aboard the station for more than a month since assuming duty from the Expedition One crew on March 18.

Though joined together, the two crews will not meet face-to-face until early Monday, after the first space walk by Hadfield and Parazynski. Endeavour's cabin pressure was lowered to 10.2 pounds per square inch Friday afternoon in preparation for that space walk, while the atmosphere inside the station remains a normal 14.7 psi.

The first space walk, scheduled to begin about 6:20 a.m. Sunday, will focus on installation of the station's robotic arm, called Canadarm2. The space walkers also will install a UHF antenna on the station's exterior. Their second space walk Tuesday, features routing power and checking out the stations arm, which at 57.7 feet long, is longer, more flexible and more powerful than the robotic arm used by the shuttle fleet. If necessary, a third space walk could take place Thursday.

All systems are in good shape aboard both vehicles.

Rominger, Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists John Phillips, Chris Hadfield, Umberto Guidoni, Scott Parazynski and Yuri Lonchakov, briefly opened a hatch leading from the Shuttle into Pressurized Mating Adapter-2, and retrieved a battery-powered drill for use on Sunday's space walk. They also left behind some supplies that were later retrieved by the station crew. From the station side of the hatch leading to PMA-2, flight engineer Jim Voss used a video camera to film the smiling Shuttle crew members as they transferred four water containers, computer equipment, some fresh food and film for the IMAX camera.

Though securely linked together, the two crews are not scheduled to greet one another in person until early Monday, following the first space walk to be conducted Sunday by Hadfield and Parazynski. Late in their day, Hadfield and Parazynski were joined by space walk coordinator Phillips in conducting some final checks of the suits and hardware that will be used during tomorrow's planned 6 ½ hour space walk. The full crews on both vehicles then reviewed the procedures to be followed throughout Hadfield and Parazynski's space walk.

This first space walk, scheduled to begin about 6:20 a.m., will focus on installing the station's robotic arm, called Canadarm2, and attaching an ultrahigh frequency (UHF) antenna on the station's exterior. A second space walk is scheduled for Tuesday, and will focus on establishing power connections and checking out the new 57.7 foot-long robotic arm.

Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineer Susan Helms verified the performance of the station's carbon dioxide removal system, called Vozdukh, which had been operating in a slightly degraded condition. The system started working normally overnight on its own, and their checkout confirmed that it is operating within normal parameters. Usachev, Helms and Voss also exercised and continued preparations for the next week of joint operations with the Shuttle crew.

All systems are in good shape aboard both vehicles. The Station crew will go to sleep at 5:31 p.m. today, followed 10 minutes later by the crew of Endeavour. Mission Control will awaken the shuttle crew at 1:41 a.m. Sunday and the station crew will hear its wake-up alarm tone at 2:01 a.m.

Mission Control Houston recognized the importance of today's activities sending up a congratulatory message from Canadian Astronaut Steve MacLean and playing the Canadian anthem, "Oh Canada" before the two space walkers - Scott Parazynski and Chris Hadfield - floated back into Endeavour. Hadfield became the first Canadian to conduct a spacewalk today as he worked to install the Canadian built and provided Canadarm2 robotic arm.

"It really just opens the door to what all of us can be doing here internationally, beginning to explore space as a planet," said Hadfield.

Parazynski and Hadfield spent 7 hours and 10 minutes working outside the station, installing first an Ultrahigh Frequency (UHF) antenna before turning their attention to the station's new robotic arm. They floated out of Endeavour's airlock at 6:45 a.m. central time and about two hours later had installed and deployed the UHF antenna on the Destiny module of the station.

With that complete, the two astronauts turned their attention to installing the new station robotic arm. The main boom was deployed at 10 a.m. central, and a few minutes later, at 10:10 a.m. Hadfield and Parazynski began unfolding the arm as Endeavour and the station flew 238 miles over the Atlantic Ocean.

With the new arm secured in its pallet attached to the exterior of the Destiny laboratory, Hadfield and Parazynski connected cables to give the arm power and allow it to accept computer commands from inside the lab. After unfolding the arm, they used a pistol grip tool to properly secure a series of expandable fasteners that keep the booms rigidized in position. The two space walkers experienced some difficulty ensuring an appropriate torque level had been placed on the fasteners. By taking the pistol grip tool from automatic to manual mode, Hadfield and Parazynski securely tightened the bolts in place, completing their activities for the day and beginning to clean up the payload bay before returning to Endeavour.

Today's spacewalk, which concluded at 1:55 p.m., was the 19th conducted to assemble the International Space Station. A second spacewalk scheduled for Tuesday will focus on establishing permanent power connections between the arm and station and performing a thorough checkout.

At 1:53 p.m., Flight Engineers Susan Helms and Jim Voss, on board the station, commanded the first motion of the new station robotic arm as they flew 242 miles over the Indian Ocean crossing the eastern coast of Africa. All indications are that the arm operated perfectly in this initial commanding.

Tomorrow, just before 5:30 a.m., Helms and Voss will "walk" the arm off the pallet and attach it to a grapple fixture on the Destiny module. On Wednesday morning, they will use the station arm to hand the pallet to the shuttle arm. In a procedure that will take about 3 ½ hours from start-to-finish, the pallet will be transferred from one arm to the other and berthed back in Endeavour's payload bay for return to Earth

Endeavour's 50 foot-long robotic arm will be pressed into service once again Monday morning as Pilot Jeff Ashby grapples the Italian Space Agency-provided "Raffaello" logistics module and docks it to the Unity module. Early Tuesday morning, the Expedition Two crew - Voss, Helms and Commander Yury Usachev - will enter Raffaello and begin transferring the supplies, equipment and experiment racks loaded inside.

After a busy day on orbit for both crews, the station crew will go to sleep at 5:31 p.m., followed 10 minutes later by Endeavour's crew. Mission Control will wake up Commander Kent Rominger, Ashby, Mission Specialists John Phillips, Yuri Lonchakov, Umberto Guidoni, Hadfield and Parazynski at 1:41 a.m. Monday. The station crew is scheduled to wake up at 2:01 a.m.

The new 57-foot long Canadian-built Canadarm2 robot arm took its first step this morning, "walking off" a pallet mounted at the top of the Destiny Laboratory to grab onto an electrical grapple fixture on Destiny capable of providing data, power and telemetry to the dexterous appendage.

With Expedition Two Flight Engineer Susan Helms sending commands from a workstation inside Destiny, the arm began to move off the pallet at 6:13 a.m. Central time. Three hours later, after an extensive checkout of all of its new joints, the arm affixed itself to the Destiny grapple point where it will remain overnight in preparation for its first active grappling of a payload --- the pallet on which it was launched --- on Tuesday.

As Canadarm2 was completing its work for the day, Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski used Endeavour's slightly smaller robot arm to latch onto the Italian-built Raffaello cargo module in the Shuttle's payload bay. Raffaello was lifted out of the bay and was attached to a docking port on the Station's Unity module at 11:00 a.m., setting the stage for Expedition Commander Yury Usachev, and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Helms to begin unloading three tons of supplies beginning tomorrow. Parazynski was assisted by European Space Agency astronaut Umberto Guidoni, who will take the lead in assisting the Station crewmembers in the unloading of Raffaello and the repacking of discarded items in the module later this week.

Parazynski and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield prepared for their second spacewalk of the mission tomorrow by checking out their tools and spacesuits. They are scheduled to emerge from Endeavour's airlock around 8 a.m. Tuesday for a planned 6 ½ hour excursion to rewire the base of the newly installed Canadarm2 so it can operate from its new home on the Destiny Laboratory, to remove a communications antenna from Unity which is no longer needed and to mount a spare electrical converter unit on a stowage platform on Destiny for future Station use.

Earlier today, Commander Kent Rominger, Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists John Phillips and Yuri Lonchakov of the Russian Aviation and Space Agency led the way as hatches swung open between Endeavour and the ISS at 4:25 a.m., allowing the ten crewmembers to greet one another for the first time. Some supplies carried to the Station aboard Endeavour were transferred throughout the day until the hatches once again were closed at 2:26 p.m. after 10 hours of joint operations. The hatch closure enabled the Shuttle's cabin pressure to be lowered to support tomorrow's spacewalk.

Near the end of the day, Rominger and Ashby supervised a one-hour firing of Endeavour's jets to gently raise the orbit of the ISS about 2 ½ statute miles, from 237.8 statute miles to 240.3 statute miles. Two more reboosts are planned on Wednesday and Thursday to leave the Station at the correct altitude for the arrival of a Russian-commanded "taxi" crew next week delivering a fresh Soyuz return vehicle to the complex.

Both crews are scheduled to end their day just after 6:30 p.m. and will be awakened early Tuesday morning. Both spacecraft are in excellent shape orbiting the Earth every 92 minutes.

Expedition 2 Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms steered Canadarm2 as it lifted its first payload in space, a 3,000-pound pallet that the 57-foot-long arm had been nestled in for launch in the shuttle's cargo bay.

Today's 7 hour, 40 minute spacewalk began at 7:34 a.m. Central time, as Hadfield and Parazynski worked to complete all of the primary goals of the mission, including the connection of the Power and Data Grapple Fixture circuits for the new arm on Destiny, the removal of an early communications antenna and the transfer of a spare Direct Current Switching Unit from the shuttle's payload bay to an equipment storage rack on the outside of Destiny.

As the pair rewired power and data connections for Canadarm2, the backup power circuit failed to respond to commanding from Helms, who was operating from a workstation inside Destiny. Hadfield and Parazynski opened a panel to gain access to another connector at the base of the arm and after disconnecting and reconnecting cables, were able to complete the redundant power path to the arm to the cheers of flight controllers in Houston.

During the removal of the early communications antenna, an electrical connector cover got away from Hadfield and nestled behind a thermal cover in the docking port to which the airlock will be mated in June. After two unsuccessful attempts to locate the errant piece of metal - which required extensive coordination between the shuttle and station flight control teams on the ground -- Hadfield was instructed to stop searching and to move on to other work. The errant component is not expected to have any impact on future operations. With all of their work successfully completed, Hadfield and Parazynski completed their space walk at 3:15 p.m., bringing the total spacewalk time on STS-100 to 14 hours, 50 minutes. A potential third spacewalk on Thursday likely will not be needed.

Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev and Station crewmates Voss and Helms started their workday transferring supplies, equipment and experiment racks from the Raffaello cargo module, which is berthed to the Unity connecting node.

After the spacewalk was completed, the two crews turned their attention to reopening the hatches between the station and shuttle. Commander Kent Rominger reported that Endeavour's crew had returned to the ISS at 5:15 p.m. to set the stage for the resumption of transfer activities on Wednesday. The two crews will begin their sleep periods shortly after 6:30 p.m.

Both spacecraft are in excellent shape orbiting the Earth every 92 minutes at an altitude of 237 statute miles.

While robotic arm operations are underway by Expedition Two crewmembers Susan Helms and Jim Voss aboard the station, and shuttle crewmembers Chris Hadfield and Scott Parazynski, the remaining shuttle and station astronauts and cosmonauts continue the task of unpacking the Raffaello high-tech moving van. European Space Agency astronaut Umberto Guidoni is overseeing the unloading of the Italian-built logistics module.

Today's wakeup call to the crew was "Con te Partiro" ("With You I Will Go"), sung by Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli. It was played for Guidoni who is from Italy.

Working at the Robotics Work Station in the Destiny Laboratory, Helms and Voss will use the new Canadarm2 to maneuver the pallet within reach of Endeavour's robotic arm under control of Hadfield and Parazynski. In a reverse passing of the torch, the new arm will pass the pallet to its older cousin officially beginning the station arm's own career in space.

Hadfield and Parazynksi completed connections on the station's new robotic arm during the second of two planned spacewalks yesterday. The 7 hour, 40 minute Extravehicular Activity included the connection of power, data and television cables, which allow the robot arm to operate from a base on the outside of the Destiny science laboratory.

At about 2:30 today, Endeavour's Commander Kent Rominger and Pilot Jeff Ashby will boost the station's altitude another 2 ½ miles by firing thruster jets in a precise sequence for about one hour. With one reboost maneuver completed several days ago, a third and final identical firing of the reaction control system jets is planned Thursday.

Both spacecraft are in excellent shape orbiting the Earth every 92 minutes at an altitude of 243 statute miles.

As Pilot Jeff Ashby slowly backed Endeavour away, Commander Kent Rominger and Expedition Two flight engineer Susan Helms exchanged final wishes for Endeavour's planned return to Earth, and a continued safe journey for the station crew. Once Endeavour was at a distance of 450 feet from the station, Ashby initiated a three-quarter circle flyaround of the station as Mission Specialist Yuri Lonchakov activated a large-format IMAX camera in Endeavour's payload bay to photograph the station.

At 1:28 p.m., with the flyaround complete, Ashby fired a separation burn, initiating Endeavour's final departure from the orbiting complex, now equipped with a new Canadian-built robotic arm and communications antenna, installed by Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski and Chris Hadfield during two space walks. During eight days of joint operations, the two crews also transferred more than three tons of supplies, equipment and scientific experiments to the station.

On board the station, the Expedition Two crew - Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Helms - will enjoy some time off this afternoon following a busy week on orbit. Early Monday morning, they will support the docking of a replacement Soyuz spacecraft that will serve as the station's "lifeboat." The Soyuz and its crew of three - Commander Talgat Musabayev, Flight Engineer Yuri Baturin and American businessman Dennis Tito -- is scheduled to dock at 2:52 a.m. Monday.

Endeavour's crew will go to sleep shortly after 4:30 p.m. today, awakening at 1:41 a.m. Monday to begin what should be their final full day on orbit. Endeavour is scheduled to return to the Kennedy Space Center, weather permitting, at 8:03 a.m. Tuesday. The primary activity for the crew on Monday will center on Endeavour's return to Earth, with Rominger, Ashby and Flight Engineer John Phillips verifying the performance of Endeavour's flight control surfaces and steering jets. Hadfield, Parazynski, Lonchakov and Umberto Guidoni will begin stowing away much of the equipment the crew has used over the past 11 days on orbit. All seven crew members are scheduled to participate in a press conference, talking with media in the U.S., Canada and Italy, at 10:01 a.m. Monday.

Mission Specialists Chris Hadfield, Scott Parazynski, Yuri Lonchakov and Umberto Guidoni stowed away much of the equipment the crew has used over the past 11 days in space. All seven crew members also were scheduled for some time off today to relax. Preliminary forecasts at the three-mile long Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida are not promising for tomorrow's opportunities, with the possibility of rain and high winds in the area. The back-up landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California has been called up to provide Entry Flight Director LeRoy Cain and his team of flight controllers with additional options in returning Endeavour to Earth. There are two opportunities for Endeavour to return to the Kennedy Space Center tomorrow. The first would see a deorbit burn to slow Endeavour down and drop it out of orbit, occuring at 6:55 a.m., with landing to follow at 8:04 a.m. Central time. There is a second opportunity one orbit later with a deorbit burn at 8:31 a.m. resulting in a 9:39 a.m. landing. There are also two opportunities to land at Edwards Air Force Base tomorrow, at 11:11 a.m. and 12:47 p.m. respectively. Throughout the night, flight controllers will continue to look at weather conditions at both landing sites formulating plans to bring Endeavour home. Endeavour's crew is scheduled to be awakened at 11:41 p.m. today and will begin preparations for their possible return trip home shortly after 3 a.m. tomorrow. In the meantime, with the arrival of the three-member Soyuz taxi crew, the first activity on board the International Space Station today was an extensive safety briefing conducted by Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev. The briefing included familiarizing the crew with station systems and evacuation routes. Crew members then swapped their custom-fitted Soyuz seatliners from one vehicle to another, and transferred some cargo from Soyuz to the station, setting up a plasma crystal experiment.

The Soyuz has a lifetime on orbit of about six months. The crew of the Soyuz which docked today, commander Talgat Musabayev, Flight Engineer Yuri Baturin and American businessman Dennis Tito, will return to Earth aboard the Soyuz capsule that launched the Expedition One crew to the station last Oct. 31. That Soyuz has been at the station since it docked there Nov. 2.

When this morning's docking occurred, the shuttle Endeavour was about 78 statute miles ahead of the space station. Its seven crewmembers will spend today preparing for its return to Earth. Landing is scheduled for 8:04 a.m. CDT Tuesday at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Endeavour crewmembers were awakened at 12:41 a.m. by music from the soundtrack of the movie Gladiator.

Today, shuttle Commander Kent Rominger, Pilot Jeff Ashby and Flight Engineer John Phillips will test Endeavour's flight control surfaces and steering jets. Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, mission specialist Scott Parazynski, cosmonaut Yuri Lonchakov and European Space Agency astronaut Umberto Guidoni will stow away much of the equipment the crew has used over the past 11 days in space. All seven crewmembers are also scheduled to participate in a press conference with media in the U.S., Canada and Italy at 10:01 a.m.

Endeavour accomplished all of its major mission goals during the eight days it was docked to the space station. Parazynski and Hadfield installed and helped test a new Canadian-built robotic arm on the space station during two spacewalks that lasted a total of 14 hours and 50 minutes. Hadfield made history on that first space walk by becoming the first Canadian astronaut to ever walk in space. Working with the station's Expedition Two crew, Russian Commander Yury Usachev and astronauts Jim Voss and Susan Helms, they transferred more than three tons of supplies, equipment and scientific experiments to the station, then repacked 1,600 pounds of equipment that was no longer needed aboard the station.

Space station flight controllers were successful overnight in reformatting the hard drive on new Command and Control (C&C) Computer One, which was originally a payload computer. Controllers then copied all the software from the prime C&C 2, to the C&C 1 hard drive. After more testing later today, the station's three C&Cs will have two hard drives that contain all the necessary software to run the station's systems.

With continuing cloud cover, rain showers and gusty winds at the Kennedy Space Center, Entry Flight Director LeRoy Cain waved off landing opportunities there and elected to return to the West Coast where weather conditions were perfect for today's landing. Today's landing was the 48th at Edwards Air Force Base in shuttle program history.

Endeavour's crew - Commander Kent Rominger, Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski, Chris Hadfield, John Phillips, Yuri Lonchakov and Umberto Guidoni - is expected to remain overnight in California, returning to Houston Wednesday afternoon.

During 11 days on orbit, eight of which were spent in joint operations with the International Space Station crew, Endeavour's crew installed a new robotic arm called Canadarm2, and transferred more than 6,000 pounds of equipment, experiments and supplies between vehicles.

A public welcome home ceremony for the crew is slated for 4 p.m. at Hangar 990 at NASA's Ellington Field.

Two opportunities to land at Edwards are available today. For the first, the deorbit burn would occur at 10:03 a.m. central time with landing at 11:11 a.m. The second would see a deorbit burn at 11:39 a.m. and touchdown at 12:47 p.m. Forecasters said weather at Edwards is ideal. Endeavour, which was launched April 19, brought an advanced and more powerful robotic arm, Canadarm2, to the International Space Station. The shuttle also delivered to the station more than 6,000 pounds of equipment and supplies, much of it transported in the Italian-built Multipurpose Logistics Module named Raffaello. Among equipment aboard Raffaello were two new scientific experiment racks for the space station's U.S. laboratory Destiny. Endeavour's crew, Commander Kent Rominger, Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency, John Phillips, Scott Parazynski, Umberto Guidoni of the European Space Agency and Cosmonaut Yuri Lonchakov, were awakened at 11:48 p.m. by "Truth," performed by Spandau Ballet. The wakeup music was for Rominger, requested by his family.

The first opportunity of the day to land Endeavour at the Florida spaceport has already been passed up and flight controllers continue to plan for a landing on the second and final opportunity at Kennedy today. But spacecraft communicators told Endeavour's crewmembers that if a second Florida waveoff occurs, they likely would land at Edwards later today. Two opportunities to land at Edwards are available today. For the first, the deorbit burn would occur at 10:03 a.m. central time with landing at 11:11 a.m. The second would see a deorbit burn at 11:39 a.m. and touchdown at 12:47 p.m. Forecasters said weather at Edwards is ideal. Endeavour, which was launched April 19, brought an advanced and more powerful robotic arm, Canadarm2, to the International Space Station. The shuttle also delivered to the station more than 6,000 pounds of equipment and supplies, much of it transported in the Italian-built Multi-Purpose Logistics Module named Raffaello. Among equipment aboard Raffaello were two new scientific experiment racks for the space station's U.S. laboratory Destiny. Endeavour's crew, Commander Kent Rominger, Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency, John Phillips, Scott Parazynski, Umberto Guidoni of the European Space Agency and Cosmonaut Yuri Lonchakov, were awakened at 11:48 p.m. by "Truth," performed by Spandau Ballet. The wakeup music was for Rominger, requested by his family.