NASA Gives 'Go' for Feb. 7 as Final Space Shuttle Night Launch
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Endeavour is set to begin a
13-day flight to the International Space Station with a Feb. 7 launch
from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is planned for
4:39 a.m. EST, making this the final scheduled space shuttle night
launch.
Endeavour's launch date was announced Wednesday at the conclusion of a
flight readiness review at Kennedy. During the meeting, senior NASA
and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the
mission and determined the shuttle's equipment, support systems and
procedures are ready.
Endeavour's flight will begin the final year of space shuttle
operations. Five shuttle missions are planned in 2010, with the last
flight currently targeted for launch in September.
Endeavour's mission will include three spacewalks and the delivery of
the Tranquility node, the final module of the U.S. portion of the
space station. Tranquility will provide additional room for crew
members and many of the space station's life support and
environmental control systems. Attached to the node is a cupola,
which houses a robotic control station and has seven windows to
provide a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting
spacecraft. After the node and cupola are added, the orbiting
laboratory will be about 90 percent complete.
Commander George Zamka and his crew of five astronauts are scheduled
to arrive at Kennedy at approximately 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 2, for
final launch preparations. Joining Zamka on STS-130 are Pilot Terry
Virts and Mission Specialists Kathryn Hire, Stephen Robinson,
Nicholas Patrick and Robert Behnken. Virts will be making his first
trip to space.
STS-130 will be Endeavour's 24th mission and the 33rd shuttle flight
dedicated to station assembly and maintenance. For more information
about STS-130, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
Patrick, who holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is sending updates about his
training to his Twitter account. He plans to tweet from orbit during
the mission. He can be followed at:
http://www.twitter.com/Astro_
For more information on the space station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
Source: NASA
