Endeavour in position for docking
— -- Endeavour's crew has begun a final thruster burn, called the Terminal Initiation burn, and is using the shuttle's left Orbital Maneuvering System engine to prepare for a meeting with the International Space Station.
Docking more than 200 miles above Earth is planned at 5:04 p.m, and the station is in proper position for the docking.
Chris Ferguson is prepared to execute a shuttle back flip about 600 feet below the station, called the Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver. The move will allow two cameras on the station to film the underside of the shuttle, so the images can be analyzed for signs of any heat shield damage that could affect Endeavour's ability to land safely.
Mission controllers report that radar signals that had not been transmitting properly from an antenna are performing well, likely negating the need to use a back-up star tracking system.
Managers said the issue would have created more work for ground crews, but not affected Endeavour's ability to dock with the station.
Once docked, Endeavour's crew will be welcomed by the station's three residents: American astronauts Mike Fincke and Greg Chamitoff, and Russian cosmonaut Yury Lonchakov.
Endeavour astronaut Sandra Magnus will replace Chamitoff on the station, and he will return home on the shuttle after six months in space.
On Monday, the crews will begin one of the 15-day mission's top priorities: transferring a cargo module carrying nearly 15,000 pounds of gear to the station.
New sleep stations, a toilet and a water recycling system are among the furnishings needed so the station can double its crews to six people next year and get more science research done.
The mission also includes four spacewalks to repair a damaged joint that rotates solar wings on the station's starboard side.
