Endeavour astronauts are moments from docking at their orbital destination, the International Space Station.Watch the event live just after 5 p.m. by clicking on the image at left, to launch a NASA TV viewer. Hatch opening and a welcome ceremony are expected at 6:55 p.m.
Endeavour commander Chris Ferguson, aided by pilot Eric Boe, are guiding the shuttle to a meeting with a pressurized hatch at the forward end of the Harmony module.Ferguson will use a use video imagery to line up the spacecraft ports. He may pause at a 30-foot distance to confirm the alignment is correct.
He'll steer the shuttle at a relative speed of one-tenth of a foot per second, according to NASA press materials, while both travel around Earth at 17,500 mph.
Endeavour will make first contact with a docking ring that absorbs shock and dampens relative motion between the vehicles. The ring will be retracted to close a final set of latches.
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