STS-126
Report #24
Wednesday, November 26, 2008 - 9:00 a.m. CST
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

The Multi-purpose Logistics Module Leonardo will take the first small step in its lengthy journey back to Earth today as crews of Endeavour and the International Space Station finish its packing and move it from the station to the shuttle’s cargo bay.

Leonardo, on its fifth trip to the station, brought more than seven tons of cargo to the station, much of it for future expansion of the station's crew. After it was unloaded the pressurized cargo carrier was packed with about 3,500 pounds of material for the return trip.

Crew members will leave Leonardo for the last time a little after 10 a.m. CST. Mission specialists Don Pettit and Shane Kimbrough will use the station’s Canadarm2 to take the pressurized cargo module from the Harmony node to Endeavour’s cargo bay. It is scheduled to be berthed there about 5:50 p.m.

Endeavour crew members, Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Eric Boe and mission specialists Pettit, Steve Bowen, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, Kimbrough and Greg Chamitoff, were awakened at 6:55 a.m. The song was “North Sea Oil,” by Jethro Tull. It was played for Bowen.

Transfer of equipment and supplies to Endeavour’s middeck will continue today. Chamitoff, who has been in space for about six months, will spend most of the day packing for his return home on Endeavour.

Engineers continue to study results of the starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint after its successful two-orbit auto-track test early Tuesday. The Urine Processor Assembly of the station’s new Water Recovery System continues to operate. Station Commander Mike Fincke and Flight Engineer Sandra Magnus will continue to gather processed water samples for testing, while Flight Engineer Yury Lonchakov has some station maintenance on his schedule.

The ISS Progress 31 cargo ship launched at 6:38 a.m. today (6:38 p.m. Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. One of several antennas associated with the Kurs automated rendezvous system apparently did not deploy. Russian flight controllers will review data in the hours ahead and determine whether any troubleshooting may be required. It is scheduled to dock to the station at 6:23 a.m. Sunday.

Endeavour’s crew is scheduled to go to bed at 9:55 p.m. and be awakened at 5:55 a.m. Thursday. The next shuttle status report will be issued at the end of the crew day, or earlier if events warrant.