Expedition 22 Crew Busy With Science and Docked Vehicle Activities

With Earth’s limb in the background, the Poisk module and a docked Progress cargo craft are seen from the International Space Station’s newly installed cupola.

On Friday, Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineer Soichi Noguchi collaborated on the PanOptic experiment. The visual experiment uses an ophthalmoscope to capture detailed images and video of the eye for study by experts back on Earth.

Flight Engineer T.J. Creamer was busy conducting plant experiments. The APEX-Cambium, or Advanced Plant Experiment-CAMBIUM, is an experiment that seeks an understanding of physiological processes that are affected in plant systems during spaceflight. Another experiment, Tropism in Plants, studies the growth patterns of plants in microgravity.

Flight Engineers Maxim Suraev and Oleg Kotov were busy in the Russian segment of the International Space Station. In addition to Soyuz and Poisk activities, they also are holding conferences with students and family on the ground.

Suraev and Kotov took photographs of the docked Soyuz TMA-16 spacecraft for an inspection of its blister window, which provides a visual aid during docking. They also upgraded software in the new Poisk module. Poisk doubles as a spacewalk airlock and a docking port.

Over the weekend, Suraev and Kotov are conducting a ham radio session with students at the Siberian State Telecommunications and Informatics Institute. The pair also will conduct a weekly private conference with their families.

Crew Completes Third Light-Duty Day

Orbital sunrise seen from a window in the cupola of the International Space Station.

The Expedition 22 crew members of the International Space Station enjoyed the last of three light-duty days Wednesday as they adjust to their regular work schedules following nine days of joint operations with the crew of space shuttle Endeavour.

Flight Engineer T.J. Creamer examined Flight Engineer Soichi Noguchi’s eyes with an ophthalmoscope while conducting the PanOptic experiment. This procedure captures detailed images and video of the eye for study by experts back on Earth. Station Commander Jeff Williams examined the eyes of Creamer and Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev Tuesday.

Suraev and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov transferred discarded items and trash to the docked ISS Progress 35 spacecraft. After it is filled, the unpiloted Progress will undock April 27 to deorbit then burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.

The crew also had several opportunities for Earth observation and photography. Among the sites suggested for photography was Storm Bay, Tasmania. With Charles Darwin aboard, the H.M.S. Beagle anchored at Sullivan's Cove in Storm Bay on Feb. 5, 1836. During the ship’s 10-day stay, Darwin made five trips inland to study the local geology.

Throughout the day, the crew members performed their daily physical exercise routines to counteract the effects of long-term exposure to weightlessness in space.

The station’s three Command and Control Computers continue to function well after flight controllers in Houston’s Mission Control Center isolated the issue that caused the units to switch their roles on Sunday. The station’s Mission Management Team met Tuesday to discuss additional work to be done on those systems to prevent the issue from recurring.

Discovery on Tap for Rollout to Pad

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:51:25 PM GMT+0530

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery now is attached to its external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters atop the mobile launcher platform in the Vehicle Assembly Building.

Engineers are preparing the shuttle for its rollout to Launch Pad 39A, which is scheduled for March 2 at 12:01 a.m. EST.

The STS-131 astronauts are conducting a deorbit integrated simulation today at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Discovery's crew will head to Kennedy early next month to participate in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT, and related prelaunch training.

Endeavour Completes Mission

Space shuttle Endeavour is home after two weeks in space, having delivered the final U.S. module and a "room with a view" to the International Space Station. STS-130 Commander George Zamka guided Endeavour to a landing at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility at 10:20 p.m. EST, to wrap up a 5.7 million mile mission.

Zamka, pilot Terry Virts and Mission Specialists Kathryn Hire, Stephen Robinson, Nicholas Patrick and Robert Behnken left behind more than 36,000 pounds of hardware that included the Tranquility Node 3 and the unique cupola providing a 360-degree view through seven windows.

Behnken and Patrick conducted three spacewalks during the mission totaling 18 hours, 14 minutes. That brings the totals for station assembly to 140 spacewalks and more than 873 hours.

Endeavour and Discovery do Shuttle Shuffle

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:53:20 PM GMT+0530

Just after space shuttle Endeavour made its way back to its Orbiter Processing Facility hangar, crews prepared to roll shuttle Discovery from the facility to the nearby Vehicle Assembly Building. The move, set for 10 a.m. EST this morning, paves the way for Discovery's roll to the launch pad on Mar. 2.

Discovery's astronauts are set to arrive at Kennedy this morning to inspect equipment they will use during their STS-131 mission.

Following last night's landing, Shuttle Launch Integration Manager Mike Moses said that space shuttle Endeavour's landing capped off a flawless mission. "The crew did an outstanding job," Moses said, referring to the complex task of installing Tranquility and its seven-windowed cupola to the International Space Station. "The landing today went as smooth as you can hope for -- by the numbers."

Moses wrapped up his remarks about the STS-130 mission by saying, "It was an outstanding mission -- I can't be happier with the success we had and look forward to repeating that on our next mission."

Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach was extremely pleased with Endeavour's condition."One of the most magical things we get to do here at Kennedy Space Center is walk around the orbiter after a mission from space. She looks really, really good," Leinbach said. Leinbach also congratulated Norm Knight and his team in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston for a job well done.

Station and Endeavour Crews Say Goodbye

An orbital sunrise is featured in this image photographed by Expedition 22 Flight Engineer Soichi Noguchi from a window in the newly-installed cupola of the International Space Station.

The Expedition 22 and STS-130 crews bid one another farewell, and the hatches between the two spacecraft closed at 3:08 a.m. EST Friday. Space shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station at 7:54 p.m.

President Obama Calls Station, Shuttle Crews

U.S. President Barack Obama, accompanied by White House Science Adviser John Holdren on the left, and middle school children, talks on the phone from the Roosevelt Room of the White House to astronauts on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls.

Crews Receive Presidential Call, Outfit New Station Modules
After a chat with the president an hour after their wakeup call Wednesday, it was back to the nuts-and-bolts work of spaceflight for the crews of Endeavour and the International Space Station.
At 5:14 p.m. EST on Wednesday, all 11 astronauts and cosmonauts on the docked vehicles received a congratulatory phone call from President Barack Obama, who was accompanied at the White House by a dozen middle school students from across the country who are in Washington, D.C. for a national engineering competition.

All 11 astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station and space shuttle Endeavour received a congratulatory phone call from President Barack Obama Wednesday. The president was accompanied at the White House by congressional leaders and a dozen middle school students from across the country who are in Washington, D.C. for a national engineering competition.

Joining the president were 12 students from Birney Middle School of Detroit, Elkhorn Middle School of Omaha, Neb., St. Thomas the Apostle of Miami and Davidson IB Middle School of Davidson, N.C. These students are in Washington as leaders of four of 39 teams participating in the "Future City" engineering competition hosted by National Engineers Week.

Crews Relocate Pressurized Mating Adapter 3

The International Space Station and space shuttle Endeavour crews are continuing with robotics and hardware relocation activities while preparing for the third and final spacewalk of the STS-130 mission.

Mission Specialists Nicholas Patrick and Robert Behnken, together with Expedition 22 Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineer Soichi Noguchi, maneuvered the Pressurized Mating Adapter 3 from its location on the Harmony module to the open port on the end of Tranquility at 9:28 p.m. EST Tuesday.

Patrick and Behnken reviewed plans for the third and final planned spacewalk with Mission Specialist Stephen Robinson, the intravehicular officer, along with Endeavour Commander George Zamka, Pilot Terry Virts and station Flight Engineer T.J. Creamer.

The spacewalkers will hook up heater and data cables between the relocated adapter and Tranquility during a spacewalk scheduled to begin at 9:09 p.m. Patrick and Behnken will open the second of two ammonia loops to allow its coolant to flow through Tranquility and disconnect temporary power cables. They’ll remove insulation from the cupola’s seven windows and then release bolts that held the covers in place during launch, enabling astronauts to open the shutters from inside.

The newly installed Advanced Resistive Exercise Device got an early test run in Tranquility by Williams, and all seemed to go well. Experts on the ground continued to analyze results.

The STS-130 mission includes three spacewalks and the delivery of a connecting module that will increase the station’s interior space. Node 3, known as Tranquility, will provide additional room for crew members and many of the station's life support and environmental control systems. Attached to the node is a cupola, which is a robotic control station with six windows around its sides and another in the center that will provide a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecraft. After the node and cupola are added, the space station will be about 90 percent complete.

Crews Busy with Robotics and Hardware Relocation

Pressurized Mating Adapter 3 is relocated from the Harmony module to the open port on the end of the Tranquility node.

With a port swap of the International Space Station’s new cupola and Pressurized Mating Adapter 3 completed today, astronauts continued outfitting the new Tranquility module and its observation deck and prepared for a third spacewalk.

The pressurized mating adapter was moved early in the crew’s day from its temporary position atop the Harmony node to the outboard end of Tranquility, where the cupola had been launched. Mission Specialists Robert Behnken and Nicholas Patrick operated the station’s Canadarm2 for the move, while station Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineer Soichi Noguchi dealt with latches and bolts, connecting the port to its new home at 9:28 p.m. EST.

Patrick and Behnken will hook up heater and data cables between the relocated adapter and Tranquility during the spacewalk that begins Tuesday evening. Today, the spacewalkers reviewed plans for the final planned spacewalk with Mission Specialist Stephen Robinson, the intravehicular officer, along with space shuttle Endeavour Commander George Zamka, Pilot Terry Virts and station Flight Engineer T.J. Creamer.

The 6.5-hour spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 9:09 p.m. The spacewalkers will open the second of two ammonia loops to allow its coolant to flow through Tranquility and disconnect temporary power cables. They will remove insulation from the cupola’s seven windows and then release bolts that held the covers in place during launch, enabling astronauts to open the shutters from inside.

Astronauts Move Cupola

The cupola, attached to the station's robotic arm, is relocated to Tranquility's Earth-facing port.

The International Space Station’s new viewport is facing the Earth now, ready to provide a panoramic view of the planet below and approaching cargo ships. Relocation of the cupola from the Tranquility node’s forward port to its new location was completed at 1:31 a.m. EST.

Space shuttle Endeavour Mission Specialist Kathryn Hire and Pilot Terry Virts moved the cupola, operating the station’s Canadarm2 from controls in the U.S. laboratory, Destiny. Station Commander Jeff Williams operated the latches and bolts that released the cupola from its launch location and then secured it to its new home.

There was a minor delay in releasing the cupola. The bolts attaching it to its launch position on Tranquility had been torqued in Earth’s gravity and were a little tighter than expected. Flight controllers slightly increased the torque to release the bolts, resolving the problem. The cupola’s attachment to the Earth-facing port went smoothly.

Outfitting of the cupola, including preparations for filling water lines and for installation of a robotics workstation there, continued. Crew members are expected to get their first look out the cupola windows after Tuesday’s third and final scheduled spacewalk of Endeavour’s stay at the station.

Endeavour’s spacewalkers, Mission Specialists Robert Behnken and Nicholas Patrick, spent about an hour and a half early in their day preparing for that excursion. Part of those preparations involved resizing another spacesuit for Behnken. The suit he wore on the first two spacewalks had some communications dropouts.

Shuttle Crew Completes First STS-130 Spacewalk

Mission Specialist Bob Behnken works outside the International Space Station during the first spacewalk of the STS-130 mission.

STS-130 crew members installed a 2,600-cubic-foot addition to the International Space Station early Friday, combining the talents of robotic arm operators and spacewalkers to connect the Italian-built Tranquility module.

Tranquility was installed at 1:20 a.m. EST Friday over the Indian Ocean west of Singapore. Mission Specialist Kay Hire and Pilot Terry Virts used the station’s Canadarm2 to pull Tranquility out of space shuttle Endeavour’s payload bay and position it on the port side of the station’s 10-year-old Unity module. Tranquility was locked in place with 16 remotely controlled bolts.

Spacewalkers Bob Behnken and Nick Patrick stepped outside the Quest airlock module at 9:17 p.m. Thursday and immediately began preparing the new module for its trip from the cargo bay to the station. Mission Specialist Steve Robinson helped coordinate the 6-hour, 32-minute spacewalk, which ended at 3:49 a.m. Friday. As Behnken and Patrick waited for the robotic arm operators to carefully maneuver Tranquility into position, they relocated a temporary platform from the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, or Dextre, to the station’s truss structure and installed two handles on the robot.

Once Tranquility was structurally mated to Unity, the spacewalkers connected heater and data cables that will integrate the new module with the rest of the station’s systems. They also pre-positioned insulation blankets and ammonia hoses that will be used to connect Tranquility to the station’s cooling radiators during the mission’s second spacewalk that begins Saturday night. The station’s new room with a view, the cupola, will be moved from Tranquility’s end to its Earth-facing port on Sunday.

As the spacewalk ended, Mission Control reported that all data and heater connections were working well, and that the vestibule separating Tranquility and Unity had passed its initial leak check.

Crews Prepare for Spacewalk, Perform Repairs and Transfer Equipment

Space shuttle Endeavour with the Tranquility node and cupola inside its payload bay is seen from the International Space Station prior to docking.

Mission Specialists Nicholas Patrick and Robert Behnken began their overnight campout in the International Space Station’s Quest airlock a little before 8 a.m. EST in preparation for the first of three spacewalks during space shuttle Endeavour’s visit to the orbiting laboratory. They are sleeping in the reduced 10.2 psi pressure of the airlock to avoid decompression sickness, or the bends.

The day's tasks included installation of the Water Recovery System’s refurbished Distillation Assembly and replacement of the system’s Fluids Control Pump Assembly by station Commander Jeff Williams. The system processes urine into drinking water. Shuttle Commander George Zamka and Mission Specialists Kathryn Hire and Stephen Robinson worked to transfer equipment and supplies.

The crews wrapped up their workday with an hour-long review of spacewalk procedures beginning about 4:10 a.m. Williams and Flight Engineers Soichi Noguchi and T.J. Creamer also participated.

Endeavour Arrives at Station, Crews Begin Joint Operations

STS-130 and Expedition 22 crew members are pictured shortly after space shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station docked and the hatches were opened.

Space shuttle Endeavour docked with the forward docking port of the Harmony module at 12:06 a.m. EST Wednesday. The hatches between the two vehicles were opened at 2:16 a.m.

The STS-130 mission includes three spacewalks and the delivery of a connecting module that will increase the station’s interior space. Node 3, known as Tranquility, will provide additional room for crew members and many of the station's life support and environmental control systems. Attached to the node is a cupola, which is a robotic control station with six windows around its sides and another in the center that will provide a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecrafts. After the node and cupola are added, the space station will be about 90 percent complete.

Endeavour Arrives at Station, Crews Begin Joint Operations

Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineers Maxim Suraev, Oleg Kotov, Soichi Noguchi and T.J. Creamer of the Expedition 22 crew welcomed a new set of visitors aboard the International Space Station.

Space shuttle Endeavour docked with the forward docking port of the Harmony module at 12:06 a.m. EST Wednesday. The hatches between the two vehicles were opened at 2:16 a.m.

The STS-130 mission includes three spacewalks and the delivery of a connecting module that will increase the station’s interior space. Node 3, known as Tranquility, will provide additional room for crew members and many of the station's life support and environmental control systems. Attached to the node is a cupola, which is a robotic control station with six windows around its sides and another in the center that will provide a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecrafts. After the node and cupola are added, the space station will be about 90 percent complete.

Endeavour and the STS-130 crew lifted off Monday from Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

Crew Completes Heat Shield Inspection

The space shuttle Endeavour astronauts inspected the shuttle’s thermal protection system, checked out spacesuits and prepared to dock with the International Space Station during their first full work day in space.

Much of the day for Commander George Zamka, Pilot Terry Virts and Mission Specialists Kay Hire, Stephen Robinson, Nicholas Patrick and Robert Behnken was devoted to inspection of the shuttle’s heat-resistant tiles and reinforced carbon-carbon surfaces on the wing leading edges and the nose.

Zamka, Hire and Patrick used the shuttle’s arm and its Orbital Boom Sensor System extension to survey Endeavour’s right wing. Subsequently Virts and Robinson joined the commander for the nose cap survey. Hire replaced Zamka for the port wing survey.

While the port wing survey continued, Patrick and Behnken checked out the spacesuits they will use on three spacewalks they will perform while at the station. Next they prepared spacewalk equipment and supplies for transfer to the station.

Among the last activities of the crew day was a checkout of rendezvous tools by Hire and Robinson and installation of a centerline camera by Patrick and Behnken, who then extended the shuttle’s docking ring. The camera looks out through the center of the ring to help Zamka and other crew members guide Endeavour to the station’s Pressurized Mating Adapter-2 docking port. The ring is the first part of the shuttle to contact the station and helps to firmly attach them to one another.

The shuttle crew is scheduled to be awakened at 5:14 p.m. EST for docking day. Endeavour is scheduled to dock with the station shortly after midnight Wednesday.

Spectacular Launch Begins a Complex Mission

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 04:43:21 PM GMT+0530

"What a beautiful launch we had this morning... the orbiter performed extremely well," said Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations, during the STS-130 postlaunch news conference. "This is a great start to a very complicated mission."

Jean-Jacques Dordain, European Space Agency director general, thanked NASA, the crew and the ground teams for "a very beautiful launch." Dordain said, "It was an important event. Even more important for us because the shuttle was full of European hardware."

Mike Moses, shuttle launch integration manager, said the count went unbelievably smooth. He commented how the weather constraints influenced the launch of space shuttle Endeavour and how happy he was that it all came together today. Docking is set for flight day three with three spacewalks planned to install the Tranquility node and then cupola permanently to the International Space Station. "This will be a good example of international partnerships and cooperation between the station crew and shuttle crew," said Moses.

"This was one of the smoothest countdowns ever," said Mike Leinbach, shuttle launch director. "The team was very, very energized going into the count."

Expedition 22 Awaits Arrival of Endeavour

Space shuttle Endeavour lifted off from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., at 4:14 a.m. EST Monday, beginning STS-130, the 32nd shuttle flight to the International Space Station.

Commander George Zamka is leading the STS-130 mission to the International Space Station aboard Endeavour. Terry Virts is serving as the pilot. Mission Specialists are Nicholas Patrick, Robert Behnken, Stephen Robinson and Kathryn Hire. Virts is making his first trip to space.

Shuttle Endeavour and its crew will deliver to the space station a third connecting module, the Italian-built Tranquility node and the seven-windowed Cupola, which will be used as a control room for robotics. The mission will feature three spacewalks.

Endeavour is scheduled to dock with the station at 12:09 a.m. Wednesday over the northern coast of Spain.

NASA Managers Say "Super Shuttle" Sunday Launch a "Go"

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:30:50 PM GMT+0530

Officials meeting at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida reviewed space shuttle Endeavour's readiness for flight at the L-2 prelaunch meeting. They unanimously decided to move forward with the STS-130 mission countdown to launch on Sunday at 4:39 a.m. EST.

Mike Moses, shuttle launch integration manager, said, "We're really looking forward to this launch carrying up node 3 and the cupola.

"From the shuttle program perspective, looking at our launch readiness, we're in really good shape. We had a fantastic review this morning," continued Moses, "Unanimous poll, everyone's pressing forward to go for launch."

Bernardo Patti, ESA's International Space Station program manager, said how happy and proud he is to see the last two European elements ready for the space station. He also commented on the great support and cooperation between the space agencies and how rewarding the process has been.

Mike Leinbach, shuttle launch director, reported his team is not tracking any technical issues and everything is on track for the rotating service structure rollback at 8 a.m. Saturday and loading of the external fuel tank with propellants around 7:15 p.m.

"The team is energized and excited about the countdown... looking forward to getting Endeavour off the ground Sunday morning," said Leinbach.

Kathy Winters, shuttle weather officer, said the forecast has improved and there's only a 20 percent chance weather would be an issue at launch time. Although it may be a little chilly and breezy, no constraints should be violated. The forecast at the transoceanic abort landing sites in Spain and France also looks favorable.

Saturday at 7 p.m., NASA TV will air the fueling of Endeavour's external tank at www.nasa.gov/ntv. At 11:30 p.m., live launch coverage will kick off on NASA TV.

You also can follow Endeavour's exciting countdown to launch with NASA's Launch Blog from inside Kennedy's Firing Room 3 beginning at 11:30 p.m. and continuing through main engine cutoff -- when Endeavour reaches orbit on its two-day race to the station.

ISS Progress 36 Launches, Crew Prepares for Docking

The ISS Progress 36 (P36) unpiloted spacecraft launched at 10:45 p.m. EST Tuesday (9:45 a.m. Wednesday, Baikonur time), loaded with 1,940 pounds of propellant, 106 pounds of oxygen and air, 926 pounds of water and 2,683 pounds of spare parts and supplies.

On Thursday shortly before 11:30 p.m., P36 will dock automatically to the aft port of the Zvezda service module of the International Space Station using the Kurs docking system.

As the Progress made its way to the orbiting complex Wednesday, Expedition 22 Flight Engineers Maxim Suraev and Oleg Kotov conducted a conference call with Russian ground teams as they prepared for Thursday’s docking. The cosmonauts will monitor the approach of P36 while at the TORU, the Russian telerobotically operated rendezvous system, which they can use to monitor the Progress docking or take control of the process in the unlikely event that difficulties arise with the automated Kurs system.

Meanwhile, Commander Jeff Williams gathered tools to be used for the installation and outfitting of the Italian-built Tranquility node and the seven-windowed Cupola to be delivered by space shuttle Endeavour and the STS-130 crew. Endeavour is slated to launch Sunday at 4:39 a.m. from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and dock with the station early Tuesday.

Williams also conducted a periodic inspection of the Waste and Hygiene Compartment in the U.S. Destiny Laboratory as he flushed the water tank for air bubbles, took photographs then returned the tank back to service.

In addition, the crew had time scheduled for Earth observation and photography. Among Wednesday’s selected sites for observation was the Haiti disaster area.

Payload and Weather "Go" for Launch

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:56:36 PM GMT+0530

At today's prelaunch briefing held at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, managers reported space shuttle Endeavour, its payload and crew are ready for launch at 4:39 a.m. EST on Sunday for the 13-day STS-130 mission.

NASA Test Director Jeremy Graeber reported everything is progressing on schedule for Endeavour's flight to deliver the Italian-built Tranquility node and cupola to the International Space Station. "There are no issues and preps are going well," said Graeber.

According to Graeber the water leak that occurred in the Launch Control Center last week was confined to a south stairwell and cleanup was successfully accomplished.

"To summarize, Endeavour and the launch team are all ready to proceed and we're all very excited to pick up with the countdown leading up to Sunday's early morning launch," said Graeber.

Countdown to Launch, Astros Fly to Kennedy

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:23:54 PM GMT+0530

At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, crews continue preparing space shuttle Endeavour and Launch Pad 39A for launch. Primary activity for this afternoon is the pressurization of the shuttle's main propulsion system.

The STS-130 astronauts will fly to Kennedy tonight in Shuttle Training Aircraft, which are modified Gulfstream II jets. Landing at the Shuttle Landing Facility is expected around 10:30 p.m. EST. NASA TV will air the crew's arrival live on the Web at www.nasa.gov/ntv.

Liftoff of Endeavour to the International Space Station is set for 4:39 a.m. Feb. 7. The countdown to launch begins 2 a.m. Thursday.

Less Than One Week to Launch

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 08:17:14 PM GMT+0530

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, prelaunch activities are in full swing this week with the official launch countdown to space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 mission set to begin at 2 a.m. EST Feb. 4.

Teams at Launch Pad 39A will be packing the astronauts' spacesuits into Endeavour today.

Meanwhile, the six STS-130 crew members who will fly to the International Space Station entered quarantine yesterday and now are on a sleep schedule to match their evening and overnight work hours during the mission. They will conduct final integrated ascent training in the motion base simulator today at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and will be flying to Kennedy tomorrow night.

Last week, a water suppression system pipe leaked at Kennedy's Launch Control Center and workers have made progress during the weekend drying walls and carpets. This leak is not expected to hamper the liftoff of Endeavour at 4:39 a.m. EST Feb. 7.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Chief Financial Officer Beth Robinson will brief reporters about the agency's fiscal year 2011 budget during a teleconference at 12:30 p.m. EST today that can be heard on the Web