Shuttle crew welcomed onto ISS

The gathering of expanse shuttle Endeavour has begun preparing to cut with the International Space Station (ISS).

Before docking, regular for 1755 GMT, the shuttle module action a backflip, allowing the ISS aggroup to photograph and inspect Endeavour's modify shield.

When the two crews join together, there module be a record 13 astronauts on the orbiting outpost.

During their 11-day visit, the shuttle aggroup module finish impact on a Asian investigate work titled Kibo.

Endeavour was eventually launched successfully from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on weekday after fivesome unsuccessful attempts.

The preceding efforts to begin the 16-day assignment were hampered by intense defy and fuel leaks.

The seven-strong gathering on Thursday, their prototypal full day in space, carried out a turn five-hour inspection of the craft's energy endorsement system using the shuttle's robotic arm.

Mission experts backwards on Earth examined the accumulation and gave the shuttle an initial all clear.

Officials for the US expanse agency said they were not overly afraid about whatever debris that was seen touch the shuttle during launch.

"It didn't perceive us ostensibly on this grace because because it came soured so late," shuttle trainer John technologist is quoted as saying by the foetoprotein news agency.

A position inform issued by Nasa on weekday said: "The primeval analyse indicates exclusive a few secondary dings in whatever [thermal protection] tiles... due to whatever unheralded losses of small sparkle pieces from the external tank."

Shortly before the shuttle docks with the expanse station, the orbiter module action a nine-minute backflip, known as a "Rendezvous Pitch Manoeuvre", allowing the ISS gathering to verify up to 300 photographs of the shuttle's energy endorsement system.

These images module be examined by engineers backwards at assignment curb to secure there is no damage that could jeopardise the shuttle's re-entry through the Earth's atmosphere.

Once the backflip is completed, Commander Mark Polansky module gently pass Endeavour towards the ISS.

Although the shuttle module move towards the expanse send at about 3cm per ordinal during the docking procedure, both satellite module be travelling at 28,160km/h (17,500mph), 350km (220 miles) above the Earth.

Finishing touches

During the mission, fivesome spacewalks - apiece due to last 6.5 hours - are regular to be completed.

The first, regular for Saturday, module add a platform to the Asian work complex, Kibo, which can be used for experiments that require materials to be unclothed to the disagreeable surround of space.

The gathering module also establish newborn batteries to digit of the solar arrays, which provide noesis to the expanse station, and action other maintenance tasks.

In addition, Endeavour module have a newborn long-stay US gathering member, Tim Kopra, to the ISS and bring backwards Japan's Koichi Wakata, who has lived aboard the platform for more than threesome months.

The $100bn expanse station, today about the size of a four-bedroom house, has been low construction for more than a decade.

This is the 127th expanse shuttle flight, the 29th to the station, the 23rd for Endeavour and the third in 2009.

Seven boost flights to the platform remain before the shuttles retire in 2010.
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