The International Space Station crew was busy Wednesday preparing for the arrival this week of space shuttle Endeavour and its STS-118 crew.
The shuttle was scheduled to be launched Wednesday at 6:36 p.m. EDT and arrive at the space station Friday.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration controllers in Houston said station Cmdr. Fyodor Yurchikhin, cosmonaut Oleg Kotov and astronaut Clay Anderson shifted their sleep schedule to align their operations with the arriving shuttle crew.
The space station crew, among other tasks, was packing items that will be returned to Earth aboard Endeavour, as well as unpacking items from the newly arrived Progress 26 cargo spacecraft. P26 arrived last Sunday, delivering more than 5,000 pounds of food, fuel, air and miscellaneous equipment.
Planning conferences were also being conducted with controllers and the STS-118 crew members, NASA said.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
Related stories:
NASA delays repair mission to Hubble telescope (Update 2)
(AP) -- NASA said Monday it is delaying its mission to the Hubble Space Telescope until next year because of a serious breakdown of the observatory in orbit.
Chinese astronaut makes nation's first spacewalk
(AP) -- A Chinese astronaut on Saturday performed the nation's first-ever spacewalk, the latest milestone in an ambitious program that is increasingly rivaling the United States and Russia in its rapid expansion.
Europe's 'space truck' heads for Pacific breakup
Scientists have earmarked a remote area of the South Pacific where bits of Europe's massive space freighter may crash when the orbiting craft is destroyed in a suicide plunge on Monday, an official said on Friday.
Chinese spacewalk mission enters orbit
(AP) -- China's three-man spacecraft shifted from an oval orbit to a more stable circular orbit 213 miles above Earth on Friday in preparation for the country's first attempt at a spacewalk.
China launches mission for first spacewalk
(AP) -- China successfully launched a three-man crew into space Thursday to carry out the country's first spacewalk, beginning the nation's most challenging space mission since it first sent a person into space in 2003.
NASA at 50: still taking science to the limit
In 50 years, NASA has earned itself an unparalleled reputation as an engineering, technological and scientific pioneer by pushing science to the limit.
New Target Shuttle Launch Dates Announced as Astronauts Complete Rehearsal
The target launch date for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope has been reset to Oct. 14 at 10:19 p.m. EDT. A news conference is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 3, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to announce an official launch date.
Coming soon: Self-guided, computer-based depression treatment
Self-guided treatment for depression could soon be only a mouse click away. Scientists with the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) are developing an interactive, multi-media program that will assist astronauts in recognizing and effectively managing depression and other psychosocial problems, which can pose a substantial threat to crew safety and mission operations during long-duration spaceflights.