Endeavor Set to Launch Sunday Morning

Citizens living in cities alongside the US East Coast will probably get their last chance of witnessing a nighttime space-shuttle launch, when Endeavor clears its launch pad on February 7. The mission is the first of the final five NASA has scheduled for components of its shuttle program, with the last one being scheduled for September. If all goes as planned, Endeavor will take off from Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida, at 4:39:44 am EST (0939 GMT) on Sunday. After this time, there will be no more shuttle launches during the predawn hours, the space agency reports.

According to experts, the light from the external fuel tanks and the solid rocket boosters helping the shuttle up will be visible within an area with a radius of about 520 statute miles. For most locations around the East Coast, the spacecraft will only be visible as a light trace moving barely above the horizon. If you are planning to look for Endeavor, then make sure there are no buildings, forests, or other obstacles hindering your field of view. Additionally, being able to catch a glimpse of the shuttle will be entirely up to the weather around the KSC, or at your observing location.

The STS-130 mission will see supplies, scientific equipment and spare parts being ferried to the ISS. In addition, Endeavor will also deliver Node 3, called Tranquility, one of the last great additions to the orbital facility. One of this structure's many docking ports will be occupied by a seven-windowed dome known as the Cupola, which will provide astronauts with a beautiful view of our planet, of space fliers working outside the ISS, and also of incoming spacecraft. It will also allow flight engineers to conduct more accurate work with the station's robotic arms.

The flight is scheduled to last for about 13 days, during which time the six astronauts on Endeavor and the five crew members on the ISS will perform three spacewalks. During these extra-vehicular activities (EVAs), the experts will secure Tranquility to the ISS, and will also mount the Cupola. Additionally, all the wiring and other groundwork will also be carried out both on the inside and outside segments of the lab. The Expedition 22 crew has spent the last few days smoothing out all the work that needed to be done before Endeavor could dock, Space reports.