Endeavor arrives at space station with picture window

Washington - The space shuttle Endeavor arrived at the International Space Station Wednesday, bringing a new room and a picture window that are to be installed on the station during three spacewalks on the shuttle's 13-day mission. Endeavor, which blasted off from Florida before dawn Monday, docked at the space station at 0506 GMT.

Endeavor's six-member crew brought along the Tranquility node, which is to make the orbiting space lab 90-per-cent complete. The Italian-made addition is designed as a connecting element that is to also provide the station's permanent crew with more space as well as house life-support and environmental control systems, a treadmill and other equipment.

Tranquility includes a six-window viewing area that would give astronauts a panoramic look at Earth, the station and visiting spacecraft. It would allow astronauts to operate robotic controls and get a 360-degree view like a crane operator sitting in a cabin.

The mission is the first of the year for a nearly 29-year-old space shuttle program that is to be mothballed in September. The Endeavor's current mission is to be followed by four more shuttle flights to complete construction of the space station.

Endeavor was scheduled to return to Earth on February 20.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/308425,endeavour-arrives-at-space-station-with-picture-window.html.