Image above: STS-114 Mission Specialists Andy Thomas, left, and Soichi Noguchi watch Discovery's robot arm through the orbiter's aft flight deck windows. Image credit: NASA TV

Docking Day Arrives

It's docking day for the STS-114 crew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery and the Expedition 11 crew on the International Space Station. The Shuttle crew was awakened at 11:39 p.m. EDT to the Louis Armstrong classic "What a Wonderful World."

The terminal initiation burn, which aligns the Shuttle with the Station's docking port, is set for about 4:40 a.m. Before docking, Commander Eileen Collins and Pilot Jim Kelly will send the orbiter into a backflip maneuver, enabling the Station crew to photograph Discovery's outer protection system. The imagery will focus on areas of missing tile pieces.

Discovery is scheduled to dock to Station at 7:18 a.m.

Mission imagery continues to provide NASA with valuable data for the safety of this flight and future flights. A team of about 200 people across the country are working to analyze Discovery's first photos. Foam loss from the external tank indicates a need for more improvements to the tank's insulation.

NASA's Mission Management Team Chair Wayne Hale said Wednesday that according to current data, Discovery is in good shape for a safe return home. More detailed analysis will follow over the next few days to be sure.

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