Monday, February 28, 2011

Shuttle Stay At Station Extended A Day

Discovery will remain at the International Space Station an extra day, but a decision still is pending on a unique photo fly-around photo opportunity.

Mission managers approved the extension so Discovery’s crew can help outfit a cylindrical storage module the astronauts aim to deliver today.

A final decision is expected today on a proposal to send a Soyuz crew on a fly-around to photograph the station while the shuttle, a Russian Soyuz space taxi and robotic cargo carriers from Europe, Japan and Russia are docked at the outpost.

The Discovery mission represents the only chance to capture images with all the docked vehicles prior to shuttle fleet retirement.

The added day at the station will push back Discovery’s landing at Kennedy Space Center to Tuesday.

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