14 DAY TRIAL // According to officials at NASA, the space shuttle Endeavor will blast off for the STS-130 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on February 7. The spacecraft already sits atop the Launch Pad 39A facility at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), and a recent review of its systems has determined that the early February date is a feasible one. The take-off itself is planned for 4:39 am EST (0939 GMT), which will most likely make this flight the last night-time shuttle launch ever, Space reports.
In addition to the supplies, scientific equipment and spare parts that Endeavor will be ferrying to the ISS, it will also deliver Node 3, called Tranquility, one of the last great additions to the orbital facility. One of its many docking ports will be occupied by a structure 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 STS-130 mission 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 (EVA), 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.
“Right now, everything is looking very, very good,” Mike Leinbach, the NASA launch director, explained. “This is really a complicated mission,” the Space Operations Chief at NASA, William Gerstenmaier, added after the review. Officials also revealed that Endeavor would carry some spare parts for the station's water and urine recycling systems as well. At this point, the ISS crew's water supply is not yet endangered, but the spare parts are essential to ensuring the outpost's autonomy after the space shuttles are retired. This is the first of the last five shuttle missions ever, if NASA is allowed to stick to its own program.