Crippled Shuttle Arrives At Space Station

Space shuttle Discovery safely docked with the International Space Station early Wednesday, despite the loss of a radar system designed to assist with the maneuver.

The shuttle's Integrated Radar and Communications System, or "Ku band" radar, experienced what NASA officials called an "anomaly" shortly after the spacecraft's liftoff early Monday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The space agency, however, said shuttle crews are trained to dock with the ISS without the radar's help.

The shuttle docked with the space station at 3:44 a.m. EDT, and hatches linking the ship and station were opened at 5:11 a.m. EDT. The shuttle's seven-member crew will work jointly with the six astronauts aboard the ISS over the next week, conducting a series of experiments and maintenance operations.

The shuttle astronauts will also use the ISS's Ku band radar to transmit images of their mission to ground controllers on Earth, at least until the problem with their own system is fixed.

Discovery launched from Kennedy at 6:21 a.m. Monday. The 13-day mission, officially known as STS-131, will see the crew perform three spacewalks.

They'll also deliver the Leonardo multi-purpose logistics module to the ISS. The module contains science racks for use in the various labs throughout the station, new sleeping quarters and other supplies.

The astronauts will also collect a Japanese science experiment and switch out a gyro assembly on part of the station's truss structure.

Discovery is commanded by U.S. Navy Captain Alan Poindexter, 48, of Rockville, MD. Three of the crewmembers—pilot Jim Dutton, mission specialist Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, and mission specialist Naoko Yamakazi of the Japanese Space Agency—are making their first flights into space.

Only three more shuttle flights remain before the vehicles are retired at the end of this year. Under a plan put forth by the Obama Administration, NASA will effectively outsource transportation of crew and supplies to the ISS to private launch contractors.

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