Mission: STS-126, 27th station flight (ULF2)
Orbiter: Endeavour (OV-105)
Mission Number: Shuttle flight No. 125
Launch Date: Nov 14, 2008, 19:55 EST/00:55 UT
Launch Pad: 39A map  weather
Docking: Nov 16, 17:01 EST/22:01 UT
Mission Elapsed Time: 15 days, 20 hrs, 30 mins, 34 secs
[Chamitoff spent 183 days in space, 179 aboard the ISS, where Magnus remains]
EVAs: 4
Landing Site: Edwards Air Force Base, California
Landing: November 30, 2008:
main landing gear touchdown: 15:25:06 CST
nose gear: 15:25:21 CST
wheels stop: 15:26:03
Distance Traveled: 6,615,109 miles
Inclination/Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles
Primary Payload: Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM)
Crew: Mission Commander: Christopher J. Ferguson; Pilot: Eric A. Boe; Mission Specialists: Stephen G. Bowen, Donald R. Petit, Robert S. Kimbrough, Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper, launch: Sandra H. Magnus (Flight Engineer, NASA science officer, Expedition 17, 18), landing: Gregory Chamitoff (Expedition 17 Flight Engineer) Crew portrait
Contingency Shuttle Crew Support Mission: STS-319 (Rescue STS-126) - Discovery (OV-103).
Video: Windows Media Player .wmv format
STS-126 launches 2.07 MB
STS-126 ready for launch on Pad 39A 1.57 MB
Crew walks out to Astrovan 2.36 MB

7:30 a.m. CST Friday, Nov. 28, 2008
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STS-126 Mission Control Center Status Report #28

It's undocking day. The space shuttle Endeavour and its seven-astronaut crew are scheduled to leave the International Space Station at 8:47 a.m. CST.

Endeavour crew members, Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Eric Boe and Mission Specialists Don Pettit, Steve Bowen, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, Shane Kimbrough and Greg Chamitoff, spent the night separated from their station colleagues, Commander Mike Fincke and Flight Engineers Yury Lonchakov and Sandra Magnus. Hatches between the two vehicles were closed at 6:31 p.m. Thursday.

Shuttle crew members were awakened at 4:55 a.m. Friday with 'In the Meantime,' by Spacehog. It was for Boe.

Undocking operations will begin about an hour before the separation of the spacecraft. Boe, with help from Ferguson and other crew members, will be at the controls when Endeavour leaves Pressurized Mating Adaptor 2 where it docked at 4:01 p.m. Nov. 16.

Latches will be released and springs will push the shuttle about two feet ahead of the station. Boe will pilot Endeavour to a point about 450 feet ahead of the station, then, at about 9:15 a.m., begin a flyaround. He will keep the cargo bay facing the orbiting laboratory so cameras there can document its condition. The shuttle will leave the area at about 11:15 a.m.

View from the International Space Station shortly after undocking. Credit: NASA TV

During more than 11 days of docked operations, Endeavour delivered equipment that will help allow the station to double its crew size to six. The gear included two sleep stations, a new galley, a water recovery system and an advanced resistive exercise device. Astronauts also did four spacewalks. Among their accomplishments were cleaning, lubricating and installing new bearing assemblies on the starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint. It subsequently seemed to function well during a two-orbit test.

The standard late inspection of Endeavour's thermal protection system, using the shuttle's robotic arm and its Orbital Boom Sensor System extension, is scheduled this afternoon. Boe, Pettit and Kimbrough are to begin that survey about 12:45 p.m. The Kennedy Space Center landing is scheduled for Sunday at 12:19 p.m. CST.

The crew is scheduled to go to bed at 7:55 p.m. The next shuttle status report will be issued at the end of the crew day, or earlier if events warrant.

STS-126 Mission Coverage

- courtesy of NASA