Discovery astronauts get to sleep in an hour later on their last full day in space Friday.
The late wake up call comes after astronauts were up past their bed time Thursday trying to move the Leonardo cargo module from the International Space Station into Discovery.
Problems with a latch on a robotic arm kept delaying the process.
The module was supposed to be in the shuttle's payload bay by early afternoon Thursday.
However, NASA officials decided to put off the final step until Friday because the astronauts had already put in a full day.
The crew went to bed with the module in a “low hover position” right above its slot in the payload bay.
After their wake up call at 1:21 a.m., an hour later than originally scheduled, astronauts will finish the task and slide it into the shuttle.
Space news and analysis from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral 
1 comment:
AN OPEN LETTER TO EVERYONE CONNECTED TO THE SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM BY DANIEL STERLING SAMPLE SPACE DESIGNS, LOS ANGELES, APRIL 15, 2010--- Dear Space Shuttle Workers, There are still many options that may sustain the SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM for many, many years:
1) One of the most powerful arguments for keeping the SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM going was proposed by Mr. John Shannon at last year's Augustine Committee Hearings. Developing a Heavy LIfter Rocket utilizing the current SPACE SHUTTLE architecture makes a lot of common sense, both in technology and in dollars....
2)The SPACE SHUTTLE can be upgraded (morphed) into a deep space vehicle capable of missions to the ISS, satellites in geosynchronous earth orbit, to the moon and Near Earth Objects (asteroids), perhaps even missions to Mars.
3)The most obvious method of upgrading the SPACE SHUTTLE is to S T R E T C H it and to develop a horizontal method of launching it to low earth orbit. One such method can be seen at: http://www.cyrus-space-system.com
4) There are two important steps that you can immediately take to preserve the SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM:
A) Petition the President to "MOTHBALL" the entire SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM. Even the fourth SPACE SHUTTLE sitting on the floor of the Smithsonian Air Museum must be preserved. Every nut and bolt, every piece of coded wire, every blueprint, every hard drive, everything. (try to recall the nightmare that occurred when it came time to "reverse engineer" APOLLO foe the CONSTELLATION)
B) Petition the President to begin an intensive program to redesign the SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM into a much more versatile and safer system, including altering the launch methodology.
I do not understand why this has not already been accomplished by NASA. It is so obvious, so simple......
"NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION"
Daniel Sterling Sample Space Designs...
cinedog@netzero.net
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