Discovery crew preparing to leave space station

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Discovery crew preparing to leave space station

The Associated Press Published Monday, September 7, 2009 10:39PM EDT

In this image provided by NASA, one of the space-walking astronauts on the STS-128 mission's first session of extravehicular activity photographed space shuttle Discovery's cabin as commander Rick Sturckow watches the work on the International Space Station, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2009.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida - The astronauts aboard the orbiting shuttle and station prepared to close the hatches between the linked spacecraft as Discovery gets ready for its departure for Earth on Tuesday.

NASA also was tracking another threatening piece of space junk late Monday, but did not think the orbiting outpost would have to steer clear.

The 13 astronauts accomplished one last major job together before parting company.

A moving van holding a ton of trash and discarded equipment was moved back aboard Discovery, with the use of a hefty robot arm. The van was delivered by the shuttle, fully loaded with supplies, and moved onto the international space station one week ago.

The shuttle was expected to return to Earth on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the latest piece of threatening space junk is from a Chinese satellite blasted by a missile in a 2007 test. It was expected to fly near the space station early Wednesday.

Flight director Tony Ceccacci did not know the size of the fragment, but he noted that early projections put the closest approach at 15 miles (24 kilometres). A massive piece of an old rocket passed less than a mile (a kilometre) from the shuttle-station complex Friday, but required no dodging.

The space station's new resident, Nicole Stott, said she's looking forward to gazing down at her home state of Florida and the rest of the planet over the next three months. She took up a watercolour kit to paint what she sees.

Stott flew up on Discovery as the replacement for Timothy Kopra, who has been in orbit since mid-July.

As the shuttle crew prepared to leave, Mission Control asked them to do a final check to make certain a Buzz Lightyear action figure -- the astronaut from the 1995 movie "Toy Story" -- was safely stowed on the shuttle.

The 12-inch (30-centimetre) toy has been at the international space station for more than a year. It had kept a relatively low profile at the space station since its June 2008 arrival, but was pulled out for extensive filming over the past week. Some of the movie scenes: Buzz going to sleep with an astronaut who lets go, causing the doll to float away and hit a wall, and Buzz flying through a chamber followed by a real spaceman.

NASA said the video will be used in an educational outreach effort for children and have a "Toy Story" movie spin.

As for Buzz, a Walt Disney World spokesman said the toy will take part in "several debriefing sessions" and then a ticker tape parade with Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin at the beginning of October. The spokesman said Buzz has become "the longest serving astronaut in space."

RELATED IMAGES

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In this image provided by NASA, one of the space-walking astronauts on the STS-128 mission's first session of extravehicular activity photographed space shuttle Discovery's cabin as commander Rick Sturckow watches the work on the International Space Station, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2009.
In this image provided by NASA shows the International Space Station backdropped by the blackness of space photographed by an STS-128 crew member as space shuttle Discovery and the station approach each other during rendezvous and docking activities Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009. Discovery is currently docked with the ISS.