STS-99, Mission Control Center
Status Report # 10 Tuesday, February
15, 2000 - 6:30 p.m. CST
New radar images of Brazil,
South Africa and the South Island of New Zealand were unveiled this
afternoon by elated scientists of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission.
“This snapshot of Earth will be used for decades to come,”
said deputy project scientist Dr. Tom Farr.
Mapping operations continued
smoothly into the mission’s fifth day, with both radar and orbiter
systems working flawlessly. By early afternoon, more than 29 million
square miles had been mapped, representing more than 61 percent of the
planned coverage for the mission. That’s equivalent to the combined
area of North America, South America and Africa.
Flight controllers continue
to troubleshoot a problem with a small nitrogen thruster on the end
of the 200-foot-long mast, and are focusing on steps that can be implemented
to conserve shuttle propellant. Several steps already have been implemented,
including relaxing the requirements for maintaining the mast’s
attitude due to the better-than-expected stability of the mast. Additional
steps are under review for their propellant-saving potential. Optimism
is increasing that these measures will enable Endeavour to complete
its planned mapping operations.
Blue Team members Janice Voss
and Mamoru Mohri spoke with reporters from CNN, NBC’s Today Show
and KGO Radio in San Francisco earlier today. Voss, Mohri and Dom Gorie
ended their day early this afternoon, and will be awakened to begin
their sixth day on orbit at 10:14 tonight Central Time.
The Red Team -- Kevin Kregel,
Janet Kavandi and Gerhard Thiele -- was awakened shortly after 10 this
morning and promptly resumed mapping operations. This afternoon, Kregel
and Kavandi answered questions from students at the Kansas Cosmosphere
in Hutchinson, KS; Sitting Bull College in Ft. Yates, ND; and Houston
High School in San Antonio, TX. This event was part of a NASA effort
to encourage students to pursue careers in science, engineering and
math.
All of Endeavour’s systems
are functioning normally as it circles the Earth every 90 minutes at
an altitude of about 150 miles. The next status report will be issued
at 6 a.m. Wednesday, or as mission events warrant.
###
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