Discovery set for final voyage

[Rico]

Story on the room (and live in robot) that Discovery brought up to the Space Station on this trip.

The International Space Station got a sorely needed storage room Tuesday, a 21-foot-long supply closet packed with goods and a humanoid robot that will remain boxed up for another two months.

The space station and space shuttle crews teamed up to attach the newest module, using a hefty robot arm to anchor it down. It became the 13th room at the sprawling outpost, and the only one devoted entirely to storage.

Built in Italy, the new compartment is named Leonardo, after Leonardo da Vinci.

As Leonardo was bolted into place, the shuttle-station complex soared more than 200 miles above Turin, Italy.

"So far, Leonardo's looking very, very happy to be in his or her new home," said space station astronaut Catherine Coleman.

"It's a big day for us," added Discovery crewman Michael Barratt, "and for Italy, one of the greatest contributions to spaceflight next to Paolo Nespoli."

Nespoli is among the six-person station crew.

Leonardo flew seven times to the space station as a temporary cargo carrier, but always returned on the shuttles. This time, it's staying for the duration. Storage space is at a premium, and Leonardo will provide some relief during the next decade.

The absence of visiting shuttles after this summer will make it harder to clear out the space station. Every time a shuttle returns from the station, it's loaded down with trash and discarded items.

Space station commander Scott Kelly thanked Mission Control for the new storage unit. "It's much needed," he said.

The robot delivered inside Leonardo — Robonaut 2, better known as R2 — will have to wait until May before being unpacked and tested as a potential astronaut helper. The space station residents are swamped with other chores during this week's visit by Discovery, and Endeavour will be along in April, meaning the robot will stay put for a couple more months.

"So far, space is great — but I suspect it will be even better once I'm out of my box!" R2 said in a Twitter update....


story:  http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=13028083

[QuadShot]

Awesome...but I would have thought they named it after Leonardo DeCaprio! :)

[Rico]

COOL!

Star Trek "Amok Time" fight music wakes up STS-133

[billybob476]

Coming home: Discovery undocks from the International Space Station for the last time... with a send-off from Captain Kirk

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 10:12 AM on 8th March 2011


Star Trek actor William Shatner paid tribute to the Nasa shuttle's voyages
Discovery is scheduled to land back on Earth on Wednesday
Discovery, the world's most travelled spaceship, has left the International Space Station for the last time with a send-off from Star Trek's original Captain Kirk.

The vessel undocked from the ISS yesterday morning, wrapping up a nine-day visit there.

This is the final flight for Discovery, which is due to land back on Earth on Wednesday.

The Nasa vessel is being retired and sent to a museum, where the U.S. space agency's two other shuttles will join it in retirement, following their upcoming missions.

Discovery's six astronauts got a special greeting in advance of their space station departure.

Actor William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk on the original Star Trek television series, paid tribute to Discovery's voyages over the decades.

'Space, the final frontier,' he said in a pre-recorded message. 'These have been the voyages of the space shuttle Discovery.

'Her 30-year mission - to seek out new science, to build new outposts, to bring nations together on the final frontier, to boldly go and do what no spacecraft has done before.'

'We're going to miss you,' the space station's commander, Scott Kelly, told the six shuttle astronauts. 'But most of all we're going to miss Discovery.

'Discovery has been a great ship and has really supported the International Space Station more so, I think, than any other space shuttle. We wish her fair winds and following seas.'

Shuttle skipper Steven Lindsey nodded in agreement, then shook hands with Mr Kelly.

He noted that all Discovery's mission objectives had been accomplished - the new storage unit carried up by was installed and unloaded, leaving behind an empty, pristine compartment ready to serve its purpose.

Nasa flight director Royce Renfrew radioed up congratulations to the two crews, before the hatches slammed shut.

He said he was 'really proud to take Discovery home at the very top of her game', and he credited the astronauts in large part.

The bonus days stretched the entire mission to 13 days on top of the 352 days already logged during Discovery's previous 38 missions.

In their last hour together, the 12 astronauts amused themselves in the new 21ft-long, 15ft-wide storage compartment.

Taking turns a few at a time, they performed somersaults in the centre of the chamber, bounced off the walls, and floated through with outstretched arms like underwater swimmers.

The astronauts were having so much fun that Mission Control was sorry to interrupt.

'I hate to ring the recess bell on you,' Nasa radioed, reminding the shuttle crew of one last job remaining before the hatches needed to be shut.

President Barack Obama spoke to the astronauts at the ISS on Thursday - and jokingly asked why they hadn't unpacked the droid Robonaut 2 yet
Immediately after undocking, Discovery will now fly a victory lap of sorts around the orbiting lab, essentially for picture-taking. Then the shuttle astronauts will pull out an inspection boom and survey their ship for any signs of micrometeorite damage.

Landing is scheduled for Wednesday.

Aboard the space station, meanwhile, the crew hopes in the next week or two to unpack the humanoid robot that was left behind.

The robot, named R2 for Robonaut 2, is the first humanoid in space.

Nasa, meanwhile, is monitoring a piece of space junk - an old rocket segment - that is threatening to come too close to the space station on Wednesday.

Experts will assess the risk to the station following Discovery's undocking and determine whether the complex will have to move out of the way. The shuttle is not expected to be affected by the debris, officials said.

Only two other shuttle missions remain. Endeavour is due to blast off April 19 with Kelly's identical twin brother Mark at the controls. Mark is married to Arizona senator Gabrielle Giffords, who is recuperating from a gunshot blast to the head.

Atlantis will close out the 30-year shuttle program with a launch at the end of June.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1363807/Star-Trek-moment-Discovery-send-Captain-Kirk.html#

[Rico]

Welcome home Discovery!!!

[Rico]

Check out these other amazing pics of Discovery's launch.

[turtlesrock]

it's so pretty!!! just a big beam of light!

[WillEagle]

Rico, you always find cool pics. Also that parachute didn't look big enough to slow down a big Space Shuttle!

[ElfManDan]

"Capt. Kirk" Wakes Discovery Crew

My Dad pointed this out to me and I'm really not sure how I missed it, but it's pretty cool. A custom wake up call for the Discovery crew by the Shatner himself.

[Feathers]

Yes, I saw that and for some reason assumed that it had been posted here. It's interesting to see the influence that a 30 year old TV role can still have!

[turtlesrock]

"Capt. Kirk" Wakes Discovery Crew

My Dad pointed this out to me and I'm really not sure how I missed it, but it's pretty cool. A custom wake up call for the Discovery crew by the Shatner himself.

WHAT THE?!
ok that's just plain cool

[ElfManDan]

Glad you like it. I thought it was pretty cool myself.

[turtlesrock]

i spelled plain wrong...
what is wrong with my brain?!