CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Endeavour's astronauts aim to dock at the International Space Station on Wednesday, marking the 36th and next-to-last link-up between a U.S. shuttle and the $100 billion outpost.
The high-flying arrival will come a day after extensive inspections revealed no apparent heat-shield damage that might endanger the shuttle or its crew during atmospheric reentry.
Gary Horlacher, NASA lead shuttle flight director, said he saw "nothing unusual" during surveys Tuesday of Endeavour's two wings and its nosecap.
But he also noted that some critical damage —especially to the thermal armor that protects the leading edges of the shuttle's wings —could be too minute to see with the naked eye.
"Engineers really have to take a hard look at the data once it gets to the ground. But everything looked really good today," said Horlacher . "So far, I'm not aware of any concerns at all with the vehicle."
Launched Monday from Kennedy Space Center, the Endeavour astronauts will cap a two-day trip to the station with a 6:16 a.m. docking at the outpost.
With the shuttle flying about 600 feet below the station, Endeavour commander Mark Kelly will guide his ship through a backflip. The eight-minute maneuver will point the underside of the orbiter at the station.
From inside the outpost, U.S. astronaut Catherine "Cady" Coleman and Paolo Nespoli of the European Space Agency will use high-resolution digital cameras to capture images of thermal tiles that cover the belly of Endeavour.
Combined with data gathered during Tuesday's inspections, the images will give engineers on the ground a detailed picture of the condition of the ship.
If there is evidence of potential damage that requires additional scrutiny, NASA would have the crew perform a focused inspection later this week .
A repeat of the wing and nosecap inspections will be performed in any case prior to the shuttle's departure from the station. The purpose will be to spot any damage from micrometeorite or orbital debris strikes.
The inspections have been standard operating procedure since the shuttle fleet returned to flight after the 2003 Columbia accident.
Columbia and its seven astronauts were lost during atmospheric reentry after serious wing panel damage went undetected during a 16-day science mission.
Endeavour will remain at the station until late May 29 and land at Kennedy Space Center around 2:30 a.m. June 1.
The high-flying arrival will come a day after extensive inspections revealed no apparent heat-shield damage that might endanger the shuttle or its crew during atmospheric reentry.
Gary Horlacher, NASA lead shuttle flight director, said he saw "nothing unusual" during surveys Tuesday of Endeavour's two wings and its nosecap.
But he also noted that some critical damage —especially to the thermal armor that protects the leading edges of the shuttle's wings —could be too minute to see with the naked eye.
"Engineers really have to take a hard look at the data once it gets to the ground. But everything looked really good today," said Horlacher . "So far, I'm not aware of any concerns at all with the vehicle."
Launched Monday from Kennedy Space Center, the Endeavour astronauts will cap a two-day trip to the station with a 6:16 a.m. docking at the outpost.
With the shuttle flying about 600 feet below the station, Endeavour commander Mark Kelly will guide his ship through a backflip. The eight-minute maneuver will point the underside of the orbiter at the station.
From inside the outpost, U.S. astronaut Catherine "Cady" Coleman and Paolo Nespoli of the European Space Agency will use high-resolution digital cameras to capture images of thermal tiles that cover the belly of Endeavour.
Combined with data gathered during Tuesday's inspections, the images will give engineers on the ground a detailed picture of the condition of the ship.
If there is evidence of potential damage that requires additional scrutiny, NASA would have the crew perform a focused inspection later this week .
A repeat of the wing and nosecap inspections will be performed in any case prior to the shuttle's departure from the station. The purpose will be to spot any damage from micrometeorite or orbital debris strikes.
The inspections have been standard operating procedure since the shuttle fleet returned to flight after the 2003 Columbia accident.
Columbia and its seven astronauts were lost during atmospheric reentry after serious wing panel damage went undetected during a 16-day science mission.
Endeavour will remain at the station until late May 29 and land at Kennedy Space Center around 2:30 a.m. June 1.