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Endeavour: On course to the ISS

Tue, 02/09/2010 - 18:08 by Rakhi Kaptiyal

Houston -- The astronauts aboard space shuttle Endeavour were spending their first full day in space Tuesday, en route to the International Space Station.

NASA said Pilot Terry Virts assisted Commander George Zamka with a firing of the shuttle's jets to refine its approach to the ISS for the planned Tuesday night docking.

Astronauts Kay Hire and Nick Patrick used the shuttle's robotic arm to unberth the Orbiter Boom Sensor System to perform the standard post-launch inspection of the shuttle's thermal protection system tiles and reinforced carbon panels on the spacecraft's nose cap and wing leading edges.

The inspection involved the use of cameras and lasers to determine if the shuttle sustained any damage during its 4:14 a.m. EST Monday launch. The data was transmitted to mission control in Houston, where it will be studied by experts looking for any evidence of damage.

Also Tuesday, astronauts Patrick and Bob Behnken inspected the spacesuits they will wear during mission's three spacewalks to install the Tranquility node and cupola module to the ISS. That will complete the U.S. segment of the space station.

Copyright 2010 United Press International, Inc. (UPI).

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