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STS-120 SRB cameras

Spectacular footage from six cameras mounted on shuttle Discovery's solid rocket boosters.

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Day 10 highlights

The astronauts getting equipment ready for the solar array repair spacewalk was the focus of activities on Flight Day 10.

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STS-120 day 9 highlights

This Halloween edition of the flight day highlights is complete with Clay Anderson's costume.

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STS-120 day 8 highlights

Moving the Port 6 truss to its permanent spot on the station and the ripped solar blanket are shown in the Flight Day 8 movie.

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STS-120 day 7 highlights

Juggling of the Port 6 solar array truss between the station and shuttle robotic arms highlighted work on Flight Day 7.

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STS-120 day 6 highlights

Spacewalk to detach Port 6 truss and discovery of debris in a solar array rotary joint are highlighted in the Flight Day 6 movie.

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STS-120 day 5 highlights

Highlights from Flight Day 5 see the astronauts enter into the newly-installed Harmony module.

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STS-120 day 4 highlights

The Flight Day 4 highlights movie shows Harmony's attachment to the station and the Discovery mission's first spacewalk.

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STS-120 day 3 highlights

This movie shows the highlights from Flight Day 3 as Discovery docked to the space station.

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STS-120 day 2 highlights

Flight Day 2 of Discovery's mission focused on heat shield inspections. This movie shows the day's highlights.

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STS-120 launch videos

Check out all angles of space shuttle Discovery's launch with our extensive video collection.

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STS-120 day 1 highlights

The highlights from shuttle Discovery's launch day are packaged into this movie.

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STS-120: Crew arrival

The space shuttle Discovery astronauts arrive at the Kennedy Space Center for their countdown to launch.

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STS-120: The programs

In advance of shuttle Discovery's STS-120 mission to the station, managers from both programs discuss the flight.

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STS-120: The mission

Discovery's trip to the station will install the Harmony module and move the P6 solar wing truss. The flight directors present a detailed overview of STS-120.

 Part 1 | Part 2

STS-120: Spacewalks

Five spacewalks are planned during Discovery's STS-120 assembly mission to the station. Lead spacewalk officer Dina Contella previews the EVAs.

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 EVA 1 summary
 EVA 2 summary
 EVA 3 summary
 EVA 4 summary
 EVA 5 summary

The Discovery crew

The Discovery astronauts, led by commander Pam Melroy, meet the press in the traditional pre-flight news conference.

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Daring spacewalk today to save station solar wing
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: November 3, 2007

Astronauts Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock are suiting up in the space station's Quest airlock module this morning for a high-stakes spacewalk to repair a mangled solar array. If the orbital surgery is successful, the partially deployed solar wing will be fully extended and NASA will be clear to press ahead with plans to launch a European research module in December. If the fix falls short, more repair work could be needed and the next shuttle flight likely would slip into next year.

But NASA managers are optimistic Parazynski, a physician trained in emergency medicine and one of the agency's most experienced spacewalkers, will be able to clear a snarled guidewire and install cufflink-like suspenders around two rips in the blanket to strengthen it enough for full extension.


This artwork shows Scott Parazynski reaching the damage site. Credit: NASA
 
Lead flight director Derek Hassmann said Friday he felt "really good about where we are, about the robotics pieces of the procedures, about the spacewalking techniques, about the hardware, about our understanding of the area of damage, about our approaches to fixing that damage and also about the ground choreography and how the timeline's going to play out in mission control."

Parazynski and Wheelock are scheduled to begin the dramatic spacewalk around 6:30 a.m., but they got off to a fast start today and they could begin the excursion up to a half hour early. This will be the 96th spacewalk devoted to station assembly and maintenance since construction began in 1998, the 19th so far this year and the fourth for the Discovery astronauts. Parazynski, Wheelock and station astronaut Dan Tani have logged 19 hours and 55 minutes of spacewalk time so far during Discovery's flight.

After leaving the Quest airlock on the right side of the station's central Unity module, Parazynski and Wheelock will make their way up onto the lab's main solar power truss, which runs right angle to the long axis formed by the station's pressurized modules. Parazynski will attach a foot restraint to a 50-foot boom carried by the station's robot arm and then lock his boots in place for a spectacular 45-minute ride to the damaged array.

Wheelock, meanwhile, will make his way to the base of the P6-4B solar array on the far left end of the main power truss and provide verbal guidance cues for arm operators Stephanie Wilson and Tani, working inside the Destiny laboratory module.

The P6-4B solar array is half a football field from the space station's pressurized modules. The robot arm alone cannot reach the damage site, even when positioned at a work site on the end of the power truss. But using the shuttle's heat shield inspection boom as an extension, the space crane can just barely get Parazynski into position.

After reaching the damage site, Parazynski first will inspect the mangled section of the 4B solar blanket to determine what might be needed to release an apparently snarled guidewire believed to have ripped open two blanket panel hinges during deployment Tuesday.

Because the solar array is generating electricity, Parazynski's tools and the exposed metal on his spacesuit were covered in non-conducting tape to minimize the risk of a shock. NASA managers said that risk was minimal, but the spacewalkers were cautioned not to touch any exposed wires or conducting surfaces.

Before addressing the presumed snarl, Parazynski will attach a homemade clip, dubbed a cufflink, threading clasps on each end through reinforced holes above and below the rips in the blanket. That way, if the tension on the blanket changes because of work to free the snarl, it will not widen the tears that are already there. Five such cufflinks will be installed across the 15-foot width of the blanket before any attempt is made to complete its extension.

If NASA is lucky, Parazynski will be able to simply move the guidewire to one side, freeing the snarl. If the tangle cannot be freed, he will cut the wire and Wheelock will use pliers at the base of the array to control its winding back onto a take-up reel.

"He'll assess the damage, that's his first job, to figure out what is really wrong up there," station flight director Heather Rarick said late Friday. "He'll call down that assessment, then he'll probably be given a go to install the cufflinks, which will provide some stabilization for the solar array. And he'll do that in the middle of the solar array and that'll help prevent any further tears as he's working.

"His next job is then to try to make sure the guide wire is released from its location. We think that's what's caught in the damaged area. So he'll either move it away if he can do it without requiring any cutting, otherwise he'll need to do some cutting. There's also a hinge pin that's sticking out that he'll need to cut and then he'll need to install four additional cufflinks to provide the final amounts of stabilization for the wing."

The spacewalk is timelined to last up to six hours and 30 minutes. But Hassmann said if Parazynski doesn't run into any major problems, the actual repair work could be completed in as little as a half hour. The astronauts inside the space station will attempt to redeploy the repair panel as soon as Parazynski can be moved out of the way.

Here is an updated timeline of today's activity (in EDT and mission elapsed time; includes revision M of the NASA television schedule, updated spacewalk timeline):


EDT........DD...HH...MM...EVENT

11/03/07
01:38 AM...10...14...00...STS/ISS crew wakeup
02:13 AM...10...14...35...EVA-4: Airlock repress; hygiene break
03:23 AM...10...15...45...EVA-4: Airlock campout resumes
04:53 AM...10...17...15...EVA-4: Spacesuit purge
05:08 AM...10...17...30...EVA-4: Oxygen pre-breathe
05:13 AM...10...17...35...Shuttle boom (OBSS) handoff to station arm (SSRMS)
05:58 AM...10...18...20...EVA-4: Airlock depress
06:28 AM...10...18...50...EVA-4: Spacesuits to battery power
06:33 AM...10...18...55...EVA-4: Airlock egress
07:03 AM..................SSRMS/OBSS setup
..........................1. Move to P1 truss/bay 12; perform tether swap
..........................2. Install work site interface extension
..........................3. Install foot restraint on WIF extension
..........................4. Astronaut gets In foot restraint
07:33 AM..................SSRMS maneuver to P6-4B solar array wing
..........................1. Check OBSS stability prior to P1 departure
..........................2. Station arm moves astronaut to P6-4B SAW
08:33 AM..................Solar array troubleshooting
..........................1. Assess/report guide wire configuration
..........................2. Clear guide wires; cut if necessary
..........................3. Install hinge stabilization cufflinks
11:03 AM..................OBSS maneuver to egress point
..........................1. SSRMS moves OBSS back to P1 bay 12 for egress
11:33 AM..................Astronaut egress and OBSS cleanup
..........................1. Egress foot restraint; remove/stow OBSS hardware
12:03 PM..................EVA cleanup
..........................1. Stow WIF extender on ESP-2; stow tools
..........................2. Return to airlock
12:33 PM...11...00...55...EVA-4: Cleanup and airlock ingress
01:08 PM...11...01...30...EVA-4: Airlock repressurization
01:13 PM...11...01...35...SSRMS/OBSS handoff maneuver
01:18 PM...11...01...40...Spacesuit servicing
01:58 PM...11...02...20...SRMS grapples OBSS
02:13 PM...11...02...35...SSRMS releases OBSS
02:58 PM...11...03...20...SRMS maneuver
03:00 PM...11...03...22...Mission status briefing on NASA TV
03:38 PM...11...04...00...Crew choice downlink
05:38 PM...11...06...00...ISS crew sleep begins
06:08 PM...11...06...30...STS crew sleep begins
07:00 PM...11...07...22...Daily video highlights reel on NASA TV
10:00 PM...11...10...22...Flight director update on NASA TV

The 17-ton P6 solar array truss segment was launched in 2000 to provide power during the initial stages of assembly. The lab's main power truss is now built and equipped with huge sets of solar panels on each end: starboard 4 (S4) on the right side and port 4 (P4) on the left. The outermost right side S6 arrays, scheduled for launch next fall, will be attached to a short spacer segment known as S5.

On Tuesday, P6 was unbolted from its initial mounting point and moved to the far left end of the power truss and bolted to the P5 spacer segment. The first of its two solar array wings, known as P6-2B, extended a full 110 feet as required, but the crew aborted deployment of the 4B wing when one section of hinged blanket slats hung up, presumably due to a guide wire snag. Two seams between adjacent slats pulled open, resulting in separate tears, and the edges of several nearby slats were crumpled. The largest rip measured some two-and-a-half feet long.

Eighty percent deployed, the P6-4B array can generate 97 percent of the electricity of a fully extended wing. But with a partially deployed panel, none of the arrays on the left side of the main power truss can be rotated as required to track the sun without risking additional damage. As a result, the station's left-side solar alpha rotary joint, or SARJ, is locked in place until the damage is fixed.

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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 10 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: THURSDAY'S STATUS BRIEFING AND SPACEWALK PREVIEW PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 9 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: WEDNESDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: CREW NEWS BRIEFING WITH U.S., ITALY, RUSSIA PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 8 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: TUESDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: SOLAR ARRAY WING TEARS DURING DEPLOYMENT PLAY
VIDEO: FIRST SOLAR ARRAY IS SUCCESSFULLY UNFURLED PLAY
VIDEO: HOUSTON BEGINS SOLAR ARRAYS DEPLOY SEQUENCE PLAY
VIDEO: SPARE POWER SWITCHING UNIT INSTALLED PLAY
VIDEO: INSPECTIONS OF PORT-SIDE ROTARY JOINT PLAY
VIDEO: RADIATOR UNFOLDED FROM THE P6 TRUSS PLAY
VIDEO: THE ASTRONAUTS PAUSE FOR QUICK PHOTOS PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKERS REMOVE SHROUDS FROM P6 BOXES PLAY
VIDEO: P6 TRUSS CAPTURED CLAW-LIKE INSTALL LATCH PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKERS HELP GUIDE P6 TRUSS INTO PLACE PLAY
VIDEO: DOUG WHEELOCK EMERGES FROM AIRLOCK FOR EVA PLAY
VIDEO: ROBOT ARM MOVES TRUSS FROM OVERNIGHT PARK SPOT PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION OF P6 TRUSS INSTALLATION PLAY
VIDEO: PREVIEW OF TUESDAY'S SPACEWALK PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 7 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: MONDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: ANOTHER RADIATOR DEPLOYED FROM THE S1 TRUSS PLAY
VIDEO: RADIATOR DEPLOYED FROM STARBOARD 1 TRUSS PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS HAVE SOME FUN IN HARMONY PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEWED BY ABC NEWS PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEWED BY NBC NEWS PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEWED BY CNN PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION OF RADIATOR DEPLOYS PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION OF PORT 6 HANDOFF PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 6 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: POST-SPACEWALK MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: ROBOT ARM GRAPPLE BASE INSTALLED ON HARMONY PLAY
VIDEO: STATION CABLING FOR P6 TRUSS CONFIGURED PLAY
VIDEO: TANI COLLECTS SAMPLES OF DEBRIS IN ROTARY JOINT PLAY
VIDEO: TANI DISCOVERS UNKNOWN DEBRIS INSIDE ROTARY JOINT PLAY
VIDEO: THE PORT 6 TRUSS DETACHED FROM THE SPACE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKERS UNBOLT THE PORT 6 TRUSS PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION OF PORT 6 REMOVAL PLAY
VIDEO: PREVIEW OF SUNDAY'S SPACEWALK PLAY
VIDEO: BIOGRAPHY MOVIE ON DISCOVERY'S ASTRONAUTS PLAY
VIDEO: BIOGRAPHY MOVIE ON EXPEDITION 16 CREW PLAY
VIDEO: BIOGRAPHY ON NEW EXPEDITION 16 MEMBER DAN TANI PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 5 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEWED BY CBS NEWS PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEWED BY FOX NEWS PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEWED BY WHAM-TV PLAY
VIDEO: SATURDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS ENTER HARMONY FOR FIRST TIME PLAY
VIDEO: CREW COMMENTS FROM INSIDE HARMONY PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 4 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: POST-EVA MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: FIRST STS-120 SPACEWALK CONCLUDES PLAY
VIDEO: ROBOT ARM INSTALLS HARMONY ON THE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: HARMONY MODULE LIFTED OUT OF PAYLOAD BAY PLAY
VIDEO: S-BAND ANTENNA STOWED IN DISCOVERY'S BAY PLAY
VIDEO: WHEELOCK RIDES STATION ARM WITH ANTENNA PLAY
VIDEO: MISSION STS-120'S SPACEWALK NO. 1 BEGINS PLAY

VIDEO: ANIMATED PREVIEW OF HARMONY INSTALLATION PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION OF SHUTTLE PAYLOAD BAY PLAY
VIDEO: HARMONY'S PRE-LAUNCH PREPS AT THE CAPE PLAY
VIDEO: BACKGROUND INFO ON HARMONY MODULE PLAY
VIDEO: PREVIEW OF FRIDAY'S SPACEWALK PLAY

VIDEO: THURSDAY MANAGEMENT TEAM NEWS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: POST-DOCKING MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: INSPECTION BOOM HANDED BETWEEN ROBOT ARMS PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE CREW WELCOMED ABOARD THE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: RING BETWEEN THE DOCKING PORTS RETRACTED PLAY
VIDEO: REPLAY OF DOCKING FROM PAYLOAD BAY CAMERAS PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE DISCOVERY DOCKS TO THE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: DISCOVERY PERFORMS 360-DEGREE BACKFLIP PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE APPROACHES STATION FROM BELOW PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED PREVIEW OF THE DOCKING PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 2 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: BRIEFING ON LAUNCH IMAGERY AND TANK'S PERFORMANCE PLAY
VIDEO: WEDNESDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: HEAT SHIELD INSPECTIONS EXPLAINED PLAY
VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 1 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: INSIDE MISSION CONTROL DURING LAUNCH PLAY

VIDEO: DISCOVERY'S LAUNCH AS SEEN LIVE PLAY
VIDEO: EXTERNAL TANK CAMERA FROM LIFTOFF TO ORBIT PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: VAB ROOF PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: KSC RUNWAY PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: BEACH TRACKER PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: UCS-23 WIDESCREEN PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: PLAYALINDA WIDESCREEN PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: WEST TOWER PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: PRESS SITE PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 009 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 041 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 049 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 050 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 051 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 054 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 060 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 061 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 063 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 070 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 071 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA UCS-12 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA UCS-15 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA CS-1 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA CS-2 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA CS-6 PLAY

VIDEO: THE CREW DEPARTS QUARTERS FOR THE PAD PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS SUITS UP ON LAUNCH MORNING PLAY
VIDEO: A LOOK BACK AT SHUTTLE DISCOVERY'S HISTORY PLAY
VIDEO: PAD 39A'S ROTATING GANTRY MOVED BACK PLAY
VIDEO: INTERVIEW CLIPS WITH THE ASTRONAUTS PLAY
VIDEO: MONDAY MORNING'S STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY
VIDEO: SUNDAY COUNTDOWN STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: SATURDAY COUNTDOWN STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: WATCH THE CREW'S ARRIVAL FOR LAUNCH PLAY
VIDEO: NEWS CONFERENCE AFTER FLIGHT READINESS REVIEW PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE DISCOVERY ROLLS TO LAUNCH PAD 39A PLAY
VIDEO: CRANE HOISTS DISCOVERY FOR MATING TO TANK PLAY
VIDEO: DISCOVERY MOVED TO THE VEHICLE ASSEMBLY BUILDING PLAY
VIDEO: HYDRAULIC SEALS REPLACED ON LANDING GEAR STRUT PLAY
VIDEO: FUEL TANK ATTACHED TO SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS PLAY
VIDEO: FOAM REMOVED FROM FUEL TANK FEEDLINE BRACKETS PLAY

VIDEO: STS-120 MISSION OVERVIEW BRIEFING PART 1 | PART 2
VIDEO: PREVIEW OF THE MISSION'S FIVE SPACEWALKS PLAY
VIDEO: DISCOVERY'S ASTRONAUTS MEET THE PRESS PLAY
VIDEO: BRIEFING ON SHUTTLE AND ISS PROGRAMS PLAY
MORE: STS-120 VIDEO COVERAGE
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