Weather Forecast 80% "Go" In Florida, Alternate Landing Sites Look Clear

The Super Bowl isn't the only big event planned for Florida this Sunday. NASA plans to launch Space Shuttle Endeavour at 0439 EST in what will likely be the final night launch ever for the space shuttle program.

Loading of space shuttle Endeavour's fuel cells on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center was completed early Friday morning. Cryogenics were offloaded to provide the correct ascent performance margin for the shuttle's climb to orbit.

Meanwhile, the STS-130 astronauts spent the day Friday reviewing flight plans in their crew quarters at the Operations and Checkout Building. Later, Commander George Zamka and Pilot Terry Virts took to the skies in their T-38 training jets.

The forecast has improved to an 80 percent "go" for launch and clear weather also is expected at the transoceanic abort landing sites in Spain and France.

Shuttle Endeavour and its crew will deliver to the space station a third connecting module, the Italian-built Tranquility node (Node 3) and the seven-windowed cupola, which will be used as a control room for robotics. The mission will feature three spacewalks.

Dubbed "Tranquility", Node 3 is the second connecting node module built by Thales Alenia Space and commissioned by the European Space Agency (ESA) on behalf of NASA. Its twin, Node 2 "Harmony", was provided in a similar way and was docked to the ISS in October 2007. Like its predecessor, Node 3 is a wonderful piece of technology. This 6.7-m long and 4.5-m diameter cylindrical module is fitted with six docking ports in order to provide berthing locations for future modules or vehicles. It will be mounted on the port side of Node 1 "Unity".

Node 3 will also expand the habitable volume of the ISS by 75 cubic meters and provide new locations for research hardware and living quarters. It incorporates new toilets that will improve the everyday life of the ISS permanent crew, which was expanded from three to six by mid-2009. As an improvement from Node 2, Node 3 was equipped with the most sophisticated environmental and life support system ever flown in space. In addition to water recycling and oxygen generation, it includes an atmosphere purification system that removes toxic substances and measures their components.

At launch, Node 3 will be fitted with the Cupola workstation at its end cone docking port. Once Node 3 is docked to the ISS, the Cupola will be relocated to Earth-facing port that will better suit its mission of providing a "window on outer space" in order to support docking operations outside of the Station as well as robotic activities using the various remote manipulating arms available on the orbital complex.

FMI: www.nasa.gov