Shuttle 'captures' space station, docking successful

WEB EXCLUSIVE Miles O'Brien on Endeavour's mission

In this story: 'A pretty good day' Three spacewalks planned RELATED STORIES, SITES

From Miles O'Brien
CNN Space Correspondent

(CNN) -- The space shuttle Endeavour ended a 41-hour pursuit of the International Space Station Alpha on Saturday, completing the fifth shuttle docking at the station.

Lapping the globe at a 17,500-mile-an-hour clip, Endeavour commander Brent Jett eased his 250,000-pound orbiter toward Alpha at about one-tenth of a foot per second. The vehicles conjoined 235 miles above Kazakhstan, the former Soviet republic, at 3 p.m. EST (2000 GMT).

VIDEO The launch of the space shuttle Endeavour Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Miles O'Brien explains the goals of the Endeavour's mission Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     ALSO How solar cells work Transcript: Shuttle crew answers questions from CNN.com users     INTERACTIVE All about mission STS-97 Cult 3-D model of the Space shuttle Columbia A 360° stroll through the International Space Station Cult3D models of the International Space Station and Soyuz     IN DEPTH The International Space Station Space Shuttle Central     MESSAGE BOARD Do we need the International Space Station?

"Houston -- capture confirmed," Jett radioed seconds after the docking rings on both craft met.

It was the first time a space shuttle knocked on Alpha's door with somebody home.

Alpha's vanguard three-man crew -- NASA astronaut Bill Shepherd and Russian cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev -- left the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan atop a Soyuz rocket on October 31. Their "shakedown cruise" on the station is scheduled to last another three months.

'A pretty good day'

"Alpha -- Endeavour: 175 feet. Verify in position for docking," radioed Carlos Noriega, Endeavour astronaut and Marine lieutenant colonel, to Shepherd about 20 minutes prior to the docking.

"Endeavour -- Alpha: Romeo at the dip," replied Shepherd, using U.S. Navy signal flag nomenclature.

Shepherd is a Navy captain and a member of the elite SEAL team. Jett is a Navy commander -- and a "top gun" F-14 pilot with 450 carrier landings. Both commanders are graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy -- Shepherd in 1971, and Jett in 1981 at the top of his class.

While they were docking, their alma mater's football team played against Army in Baltimore. The winless midshipmen managed to beat their arch-rivals (1-9) 30-28.

"All right! This has turned out to be a pretty good day!!" said Jett, when told the score by Shannon Lucid, capsule communicator, in Houston.

Three spacewalks planned

After docking, the shuttle crew dove into the next big task on their 10-day checklist. Using the shuttle's 50-foot robotic arm, Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau was to pluck a $600-million solar array power package from Endeavour's cargo bay. With its wings still stowed, the 35,000-pound device was to be placed at a 45-degree angle above Endeavour.

NASA was concerned the device would overheat if left in the shuttle's payload bay.

On Sunday, Noriega and his Endeavour crew mate Joe Tanner will suit up for a 6 1/2-hour spacewalk to attach and connect arrays and the supporting truss to the station. At the end of the spacewalk, Jett will unfurl the arrays. They will span 240 feet.

The spacewalking helmets to be worn by Tanner and Noriega are equipped with TV cameras capable of transmitting live pictures. They could capture a stunning image of the solar arrays rolling out with the shuttle and the earth beneath.

It is the first of three scheduled spacewalks. The remaining two are set for Tuesday and Thursday. To protect the spacewalkers from the "bends," the cabin atmosphere in the shuttle will remain reduced all week -- to about 10 pounds per square inch (psi.) Station pressure will remain at 14 psi. As a result, the hatches separating the two craft will not be opened until Friday -- giving the two crews only one day to meet in person.

Endeavour heads for space station rendezvous
December 1, 2000
Space station astronauts pause to give holiday thanks
November 23, 2000
Blurry camera causes tricky docking at space station
November 18, 2000
A space reporter's trek to the highly remote frontier
November 14, 2000
Space station crew boards new home
November 2, 2000

International Space Station
Boeing: International Space Station
Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour (OV-105)
NASA
Kennedy Space Center

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.