Mar 25, 2009 2:13 pm US/Eastern
Shuttle Prepares To Undock From Space Station
Undocking Scheduled For 3:53 p.m.
Shuttle To Land Saturday
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (CBS4) ―
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Astronaut Richard Arnold, STS-119 mission specialist, participates in the mission's first scheduled session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station March 19, 2009 in Space.
NASA/Getty Images
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STS-115 mission specialists Astronauts Daniel C. Burbank, bottom, and Steven G. MacLean, representing the Canadian Space Agency, top, participate in the second of three scheduled space walks on the International Space Station on Sept. 13, 2006.
NASA/Getty Images
The space shuttle Discovery is preparing to undock from the International Space Station Wednesday after being linked together for the last eight days during a mission to boost electrical power and science research at the orbiting outpost.
The astronauts began sealing the hatches between the linked spacecraft in preparation for Discovery's undocking later in the afternoon. That will put the shuttle and its seven-member crew on course for a Saturday touchdown.
NASA couldn't wait to see the space station with its new glistening pair of solar wings following Discovery's departure. The shuttle crew planned a victory lap around the station, primarily for picture-taking.
With the installation last week of the final set of solar wings, the space station finally resembles the artist renderings from years past. The wings were attached by spacewalking astronauts and balanced the orbiting outpost with four wings on both sides.
NASA expects the extra electrical power to drastically increase the amount of research in the various labs that make up the 220-mile-high outpost.
"You made the space station much better than it was before," the space station's skipper, Mike Fincke, told the shuttle astronauts. "You gave us more power, symmetry -- which is not to be underrated -- and you gave us a new crew member."
That new member, Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, remained behind on the space station with Fincke and a Russian cosmonaut.
Sandra Magnus, whom Wakata replaced, kept waving as she disappeared down the hatch and floated into Discovery. Wednesday marked her 131st day in space; she moved into the space station in mid-November.
"All of you guys, this is the toughest part of the mission, at least for me," Fincke said. "On one hand, it's a moment of triumph ... and yet on the other hand, we're going to really be missing you."
Fincke and his crew will be getting company again in just a few days. A Russian Soyuz rocket is set to lift off Thursday with two new station crewmates and a billionaire tourist along for the ride; they'll arrive this weekend. Fincke then will return to Earth with Microsoft Word and Excel developer Charles Simonyi and cosmonaut Yuri Lonchakov.
"Have happy travels, and let's get together when you get back," shuttle commander Lee Archambault told Fincke.
Discovery is bringing back five months' worth of experiments from the space station. The blood, urine and saliva samples need to be kept cold for as long as possible, and remained in the station freezer until the last possible moment.
The astronauts stuffed the shuttle freezer with as many samples as possible, and wrapped the remaining specimens in ice packs.
Discovery also is returning four to five liters of recycled water made from the astronauts' urine and sweat. NASA wants to make sure the water is safe before space station astronauts start drinking it there.
The reclaimed water is an essential part of NASA's plan to double the size of the space station crew, to six, in just another two months.
Discovery supplied the space station with a new urine processor to replace the original one, which malfunctioned.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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