Shuttle Endeavour Launches To Complete Japanese Module
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (July 15, 2009) --
Space shuttle Endeavour and its seven-member crew launched
at 6:03 p.m. EDT Wednesday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center
in Florida. The mission will deliver the final segment to
the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and
a new crew member to the International Space Station.
Endeavour's 16-day mission includes
five spacewalks and the installation of two platforms
outside the Japanese module. One platform is permanent and
will allow experiments to be directly exposed to space. The
other is an experiment storage pallet that will be detached
and returned with the shuttle. During the mission, Kibo's
robotic arm will transfer three experiments from the pallet
to the exposed platform. Future experiments also can be
moved to the platform from the inside of the station using
the laboratory's airlock.
Shortly before liftoff, Commander Mark Polansky thanked the
teams that helped make the launch possible.
"Endeavour has patiently waited for this," said Polansky.
"We're ready to go, and we're going to take all of you with
us on a great mission."
