150p 11/17 Update: Cargo module attached to space station

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CBS NEWS STS-126 STATUS REPORT: 25
Posted: 1:30 PM, 11/17/08

By William Harwood
CBS News Space Analyst

Changes and additions:

   SR-21 (11/16/08): Endeavour docks with space station
   SR-22 (11/16/08): Hatches opened; shuttle crew enters space station; mission status briefing
   SR-23 (11/16/08): Magnus officially joins ISS-18 crew
   SR-24 (11/17/08): Astronauts gear up for cargo module transfer to station
   SR-25 (11/17/08): Cargo module attached to space station

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1:30 PM, 11/17/08, Update: Cargo module attached to space station

Astronauts Don Pettit and Robert "Shane" Kimbrough, operating the space station's robot arm, carefully pulled a 27,000-pound cargo module out of the shuttle Endeavour's cargo bay today and attached it to the downward facing port of the lab's Harmony module to accomplish one of the major objectives of their mission.

The Italian-built Leonardo module, loaded with a record seven tons of equipment and supplies - including urine recycling gear, a new toilet, a second galley and crew sleep stations - was pulled from its perch at the back of Endeavour's cargo bay around 12:09 p.m. One hour later, at 1:04 p.m., the module was locked in place by motor-driven latches operated by newly arrived station flight engineer Sandra Magnus.

After pressurizing the vestibule between Leonardo's hatch and Harmony's, the astronauts plan to enter the equipment-packed storage locker around 8:35 p.m. this evening. Pettit and Magnus will oversee unloading the module and repacking it with trash and equipment bound for Earth. Transfer operations are scheduled to begin around 12:10 p.m. Tuesday.

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Current NASA TV Schedule: Rev. C (available on the STS-126 Quick-Look Page)

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Web Links:

CBS News STS-126 Status Reports:
http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/current.html

CBS News STS-126 Quick-Look Page:
http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/currentglance.html

NASA ISS Expeditions Page:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/index.html

NASA Shuttle Web: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/index.html
NASA Station Web: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/index.html
Spaceflight Now: http://spaceflightnow.com/index.html
GoogleSatTrack: http://www.lizard-tail.com/isana/tracking/

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