The last-ever set of space shuttle solid-fuel rockets began taking shape Tuesday evening as technicians started stacking the boosters that will power Atlantis this summer.

Launch of this final space shuttle mission is targeted for June 28 at 3:40 p.m. EDT to deliver a massive amount of supplies to the International Space Station using the Italian-made Raffaello cargo vessel.

Topics in this report:
1. Upcoming School Contacts
2. Recent ARISS Contacts
3. AMSAT Posts ARISS News
4. Amateur Radio Newsline on ARISS

1. Upcoming School Contacts

At Johnson Space Center, preparations for STS-135 – a 12-day supply mission to the International Space Station and the absolute end of the shuttle program – are unfolding with increasing urgency despite the absence of congressional agreement on a 2011 budget.

European Space Agency member states agreed last week to continue their involvement in the International Space Station program through 2020, but the nations will re-evaluate funding at the next space ministers' meeting in 2012.

Aboard the orbiting International Space Station on Monday, Expedition 27 Flight Engineers Cady Coleman and Paolo Nespoli rehearsed techniques for the upcoming unberthing of the Kounotori2 H-II Transfer Vehicle. They also continued packing trash into Kounotori2.

Coleman inspected and cleaned the Microgravity Science Glovebox, which is used in a variety of scientific endeavors aboard the orbiting laboratory.

Nespoli prepared for upcoming work with a facility to study the characteristics of boiling in the microgravity environment of space.

Topics in this report:
1. Upcoming School Contacts
2. Recent ARISS Contacts
3. ARISS International Team Meeting Held
4. Astronaut Training Status
5. AMSAT Covers ARISS Contact
6. Amateur Radio Newsline Posts ARISS News

1. Upcoming School Contacts

Expedition 26 Commander Scott Kelly ceremonially handed over command of the International Space Station to Flight Engineer Dmitry Kondratyev Monday. Kelly along with Flight Engineers Oleg Skripochka and Alexander Kaleri will return to Earth aboard the Soyuz TMA-01M on Wednesday. The undocking of Kelly, Skripochka and Kaleri late Tuesday night will mark the official beginning of Expedition 27.

Using the International Space Station’s Cupola Robotic Work Station, Expedition 26 Flight Engineers Cady Coleman and Paolo Nespoli manipulated the station's Canadarm2 to move the Kounotori2 H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV-2) from the space-facing side of the Harmony module back to the Earth-facing port of Harmony. The move began at 7 a.m. EST Thursday.

Space shuttle Endeavour's move from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A is planned for today 10th march at 8 p.m. EST. Managers will continue to monitor weather conditions throughout the day at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rollout was postponed Wednesday because of a storm front moving over the area. The delay is not expected to interfere with Endeavour's targeted launch date of April 19 on the STS-134 mission.
Source NASA

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 07:41:27 AM CST

At 8:37 a.m. EST, space shuttle Discovery fired its jets to separate from the International Space Station for the final time, setting it on a course for its return to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 11:58 a.m. Wednesday.

Ground tracks have been posted for Discovery's landing opportunities: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts133/news/la.... The Spaceflight Meteorology Group forecasts "go" conditions at Kennedy for Discovery's planned landing.