STS-98 Day 5 Highlights

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On Sunday, February 11, 2001, 6:00 a.m. CST, STS-98 MCC Status Report # 8 reports:

Awakened to the sounds of the "Blue Danube Waltz" from the movie, "2001: A Space Odyssey", Atlantis' astronauts geared up for their first entry into the newly installed Destiny Laboratory of the International Space Station later this morning.

Commander Ken Cockrell, Pilot Mark Polansky, and Mission Specialists Bob Curbeam, Marsha Ivins and Tom Jones, and the Expedition One crew --- Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev, were allowed to sleep later than planned after having worked late Saturday night to activate Destiny's critical systems. At the time of the Atlantis astronauts' wakeup shortly after 5 a.m. Central time, Destiny's critical thermal control system was operating perfectly, having reduced temperatures inside the new research facility to a comfortable 75 degrees Farenheit.

Working side by side, the eight crewmembers plan to open the hatch between the Station's Unity module and Destiny for the first time at around 8:13 a.m. Central time, and will begin a day-long operation to outfit the newest addition to the expanding outpost. The initial interior lab work will include the activation of air conditioners, fire extinguishers, computers, internal communications systems, electrical outlets, ventilation systems, alarm systems and the installation of a rack designed to purify the air, augmenting the Russian Vozdukh system in the Zvezda living quarters, which removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere of the Station's modules.

Other racks used for tool and experiment stowage will also be installed. Because of weight considerations, Destiny was launched with only 5 of its 24 racks installed. Eight empty rack bays are equipped to provide almost 300 cubic feet of stowage. Destiny's first science rack, called the Human Research Facility, will be launched next month when the Expedition Two crew of Yury Usachev, Jim Voss and Susan Helms is ferried to orbit aboard Discovery to replace Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalev.

The vital spinup of four large gyroscopes housed on the Z1 external truss structure by Destiny's computers is planned late Monday, following the second spacewalk by Jones and Curbeam. Those so-called Control Moment Gyros will be tested throughout the week to insure that Destiny can assume command and control of critical Station functions and Station orientation in the weeks ahead.

Later today, after Cockrell and Polansky raise the Station's altitude through the firing of Atlantis' jet thrusters, Jones and Curbeam will prepare tools and other gear which will be used in Monday's second spacewalk. That second excursion will involve the attachment of a Station docking adapter temporary parked on the Z1 truss to the forward end of Destiny to establish a new docking port for future Shuttle assembly flights. Jones and Curbeam will also attach a special electronic grapple fixture and video converter unit to the hull of Destiny in preparation for the deployment of the Station's first robotic arm in April.

Atlantis and the International Space Station are currently orbiting at an altitude of 228 statute miles with all systems functioning in excellent shape.

On Sunday, February 11, 2001, 7:00 p.m. CST, STS-98 MCC Status Report # 9 reports:

The crews of Atlantis and the International Space Station today opened the newly attached Destiny laboratory and spent the first full day of what are planned to be years of work ahead inside the orbiting science and command center. Station Commander Bill Shepherd opened the Destiny hatch, and he and Shuttle Commander Ken Cockrell ventured inside at 8:38 a.m. Central. Members of both crews went to work quickly inside the new module, activating air systems, fire extinguishers, alarm systems, computers and internal communications. The crew also continued equipment transfers from the shuttle to the station and filmed several scenes onboard the station using an IMAX camera. Cockrell also set Atlantis steering jets to fire periodically over the course of several hours to gradually boost the station and shuttle's altitude by almost five miles. The reboost was the first of three such maneuvers that will be performed while Atlantis is docked. When complete, the reboosts will increase the station's altitude by more than 18 miles.

After a full day working side by side, the station and shuttle crews parted company at 4:40 p.m., closing the hatches in preparation for a second spacewalk by Astronauts Tom Jones and Bob Curbeam on Monday. After the hatches closed, Shuttle Pilot Mark Polansky reduced Atlantis' cabin pressure slightly while Jones and Curbeam wore oxygen masks, part of a protocol to purge nitrogen from the bodies of spacewalkers. The protocol prevents the spacewalkers from suffering decompression sickness when they go to the extremely low-pressure environment of spacesuits. Monday's space walk will be highlighted by the movement of a station docking port, called Pressurized Mating Adapter 2, from a temporary storage location to a permanent position at the end of the Destiny lab, where it will serve as the primary shuttle docking port for future missions. During their space walk, Jones and Curbeam also will install several handrails and slidewires on Destiny's hull for use by future space walkers.

Jones and Curbeam will begin donning their spacesuits at about 6:43 a.m. Central on Monday. Just before 9 a.m., Astronaut Marsha Ivins will power up Atlantis' robotic arm. She will latch onto the mating adapter about 20 minutes later. Jones and Curbeam are to exit Atlantis' cabin and begin their work outside at 9:43 a.m., providing visual cues as Ivins in maneuvers the adapter into place. The spacewalk is planned to conclude at 4:13 p.m. Central. As the spacewalk winds down, other work inside the station and shuttle will command large gyroscopes to begin spinning, a key space station system that will control the complex's stability without consuming propellant. The spin-up of the station's four Control Moment Gyroscopes is planned to start at 3:43 p.m.

The station and shuttle crews will go to sleep at 8:13 p.m. Central today. The shuttle crew is to awaken at 4:13 a.m. Monday and the station crew is to awaken half an hour later.

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