Morgan gets her chance on August 7, 2007, when STS-118 is scheduled to lift off for its assembly mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

Morgan became the backup teacher-in-space in 1985. She returned to teaching after the shuttle was destroyed and the STS-51L crew perished over the cold and windy Florida skies on January 28, 1986. She applied to become an astronaut in 1998. After being accepted she left her teaching job in Idaho in order to train full-time as an astronaut. On the STS-118 mission, she will be responsible for operation of the robotic arm, as well as organizing the transfer of supplies being delivered to the Station.

For more information on Barbara Morgan, go to the January 22, 2007 iTWire article “NASA educator-astronaut Barbara Morgan to fly STS-118 in June 2007”.

STS-118  Mission and Space Shuttle Endeavour

It has been nearly five years since Space Shuttle Endeavour has gone into space. Its last mission was in November-December 2002, the last flight before Space Shuttle Columbia and its STS-107 crew perished over Texas on February 1, 2003. During this time it has been thoroughly inspected and refurbished. All of its heat tiles and blankets have been replaced and an improved impact detection system installed to warn the shuttle if it has been hit by space debris such as a meteorite.

For its mission to the Space Station, Endeavour has also been fitted with the ability to let the Space Station transfer electrical power (generated from its solar panels) to the Shuttle. The upgraded power distribution module, what is called the Station-Shuttle Power Transfer System (SSPTS), allows shuttle missions to be extended by three to four days for additional construction work on the Station. The system converts up to 8 kilowatts of electrical power from the 120-volt direct-current system of the Station to the 28-volt direct-current system of the Shuttle.

Endeavour was transferred to NASA launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida early Wednesday morning (07-11-07). Its approximately seven-hour crawl to the launch pad was completed just after 3a.m. EDT.

Four spacewalks are planned for the STS-118 crew during its two-week stay at the Space Station. Activities during the spacewalks include the installation of an $11 million extension (starboard S5 truss segment) to the central strut that provides support to the solar power arrays. They will also install the External Stowage Platform 3 (ESP 3), which is an external pallet that will be installed on top of the P3 truss segment. It will carry a new CMG (control moment gyroscope), along with other spare equipment and parts.

Spacewalking astronauts will also replace a broken gyroscope that provides proper orientation to the Space Station.

The STS-118 astronaut crew includes: commander Scott J. Kelly, pilot Charles O. Hobaugh, and mission specialists Tracy Caldwell, Richard Mastracchio, Dafydd Williams (Canadian astronaut), Barbara Morgan, and B. Alvin Drew.

The launch is scheduled to occur on August 7, 2007, at 7:02:09 p.m. EDT. The scheduled 14-day mission will provide for a landing at the Kennedy Space Center on August 21, 2007, at 1:11 p.m. EDT.

Live video of the launch, landing, and other in-flight activities of the STS-118 mission, including the spacewalks, will be shown on NASA TV at: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/.

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Astronaut  International Space Station  NASA  Research  Science  Space Shuttle  William Atkins