Expedition 18 Commander Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, works at a computer aboard the International Space Station. Credit: NASA TV

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Endeavour to dock at space station today

The Expedition 18 crew is ready to welcome its newest member to the International Space Station. Space Shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to arrive at 5:04 p.m. EST Sunday.

Traveling with the
STS-126 crew is NASA astronaut Sandra Magnus, KE5FYE. She will replace Expedition 18 Flight Engineer Greg Chamitoff, KD5PKZ. Magnus will officially join Expedition 18 several hours after Endeavour docks. Chamitoff will return home with the STS-126 crew.

The Expedition 18 and STS-126 crews will conduct joint operations for more than a week. In addition to four spacewalks, they will transfer cargo between the vehicles. Endeavour and its crew are scheduled to stay at the station until Nov. 27.

The STS-126 crew members completed the day's scheduled inspections of space shuttle Endeavour’s heat shield at 8:54 p.m. EST Saturday. They used Endeavour’s robotic arm and an attached boom extension to check the spacecraft’s underside, nose cap and leading edges of the wings as well as hard to reach shuttle surfaces.

Image above: STS-126 Pilot Eric Boe is in the pilot's seat on the shuttle's flight deck. Credit: NASA TV

The inspections are performed to check if any damage occurred to the heat shield during the climb to orbit that began when Endeavour lifted off Friday from Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
Over the next few days, engineers and flight controllers will analyze the data collected by the STS-126 crew.

Throughout the day, the crew prepared for Sunday’s arrival at the International Space Station. The day's activities included the extension of the shuttle’s docking ring and the check out of tools they will use to rendezvous and link up with the station. Docking is scheduled to occur at 5:04 p.m. Sunday.

The crew also checked out spacesuits to be used during the mission’s four scheduled spacewalks at the space station.