STS-98 Day 8 Highlights

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On Wednesday, February 14, 2001, 6:00 a.m. CST, STS-98 MCC Status Report # 14 reports:

Following a wakeup call to the sounds of "Fly Me to the Moon" by Savage Garden shortly after 4 a.m. Central time today, Atlantis' astronauts began preparing for the third and final scheduled space walk of this mission, the 100th in U.S. spaceflight history.

During the planned five-hour excursion, which is scheduled to begin at around 9:15 a.m., Bob Curbeam and Tom Jones, under the guidance of spacewalk choreographer Mark Polansky, will attach a spare communications antenna on the exterior of the International Space Station (ISS), verify that connections between the newly installed Destiny laboratory and its attached Shuttle docking port are secure, and will release restraints holding a Station radiator in place. Curbeam and Jones will also inspect the exterior of the ISS and the recently-installed U.S. solar arrays, before demonstrating techniques which could be used in the future to assist an incapacitated colleague in the vacuum of space.

Once Curbeam and Jones are back on board Atlantis, Commander Ken Cockrell and Mission Specialist Marsha Ivins will open the hatches separating Atlantis and the International Space Station, allowing the five astronauts and the three Expedition One crewmembers to continue transferring water and supplies between the two spacecraft. Cockrell also will command Atlantis' thrusters to fire in a stair-step fashion for about an hour to gently raise the Space Station's altitude. This fourth reboost of about 6 statute miles will leave the Station in an orbit about 244 statute miles above the Earth, some 16 statute miles higher than when Atlantis arrived for docking last Friday.

On board the ISS today, Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev will continue setting up and activating systems in the Destiny laboratory, will use a large format IMAX camera to document life on board their orbiting home, and will exercise using a treadmill and a resistive exercise device. This is the 106th day in space for the Expedition One crew, its 104th day on board the orbiting outpost. Atlantis and the International Space Station continue to orbit the Earth in excellent shape.

On Wednesday, February 14, 2001, 7:00 p.m. CST, STS-98 MCC Status Report # 15 reports:

Astronauts Tom Jones and Bob Curbeam completed their third and final planned spacewalk outside the International Space Station today, pausing to celebrate the mission, which included the 100th spacewalk in United States space history.

"This achievement, this golden anniversary so to speak, is a tributeto all the people who have done spacewalks, all the people who designed the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and now Shuttle suits," Curbeam said as he and Jones held a placard commemorating the spacewalks in Atlantis' payload bay. And we salute all of you and appreciate your hard work and thank you so much."

The two astronauts exited Atlantis' airlock at 8:48 a.m. Central. During five hours and 25 minutes outside, they attached a spare communications antenna to the International Space Station's exterior; double-checked connections between the Destiny lab and its docking port; released a cooling radiator on the station; inspected solar array connections at the top of the station; and tested the ability of a spacewalker to carry an immobile crew member back to the shuttle airlock. The spacewalk work all went smoothly, and the two reentered Atlantis at 2:13 p.m. Central.

Three hours later, at 5:14 p.m. Central, the shuttle and station crews reopened hatches between the two spacecraft, beginning about 36 hours of side-by-side activities. The two crews will say a final farewell and close the hatches just after 6 a.m. Central on Friday in preparation for Atlantis' undocking later that morning.

Tomorrow's plans include the continued transfer of supplies and equipment from Atlantis to the station. A total of more than 800 pounds of shuttle-delivered supplies and gear will have been transferred to the station by the time Atlantis departs. Commander Ken Cockrell also is planned to again set Atlantis' thrusters to fire for a fourth and final gradual boost of the station's altitude. The shuttle will leave the station about 16 miles higher than when Atlantis arrived.

Cockrell, Jones and Curbeam will take a break from their work at 7:49 a.m. Central Thursday to talk with Baltimore elementary and middle school students at the Maryland Science Center. Later, the entire shuttle and station crews will field questions from news media in the U.S. and Russia during a 40-minute press conference starting at 12:37 p.m. Central.

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

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