Endeavour's astronauts
pack for trip home

May 28, 1996
Web posted at: 2:00 p.m. EDT

SPACE CENTER, Houston (CNN) -- Having finished experiments with a giant inflatable antenna and a self-stabilizing satellite, Endeavour's astronauts packed Tuesday for the ride home.

The U.S.-Canadian crew wrapped up science experiments in the space shuttle's lab and conducted routine tests of landing system components to prepare for Wednesday's scheduled arrival at Kennedy Space Center.

The antenna and the satellite won't be coming home with Endeavour. After completing experiments with the two test spacecraft, they were abandoned into orbit.

The antenna, which filled with nitrogen gas and ballooned to the size of a tennis court, plunged through the atmosphere and burned up two days later.

ENDEAVOUR LINKS Endeavour unleashes satellite with inflatable antenna Endeavour launch a success - Shockwave version Endeavour launch a success - Regular Version Live image from NASA TV Live DEMOS tracking map

The satellite, a wastebasket-sized craft designed to become steady in space without jet thrusters, is expected to zoom around Earth at 17,500 mph for about seven months before re-entering the atmosphere.

Researchers initially indicated the satellite would burn up late this summer. But they extended its predicted lifespan on Monday after astronauts measured its stability and found that it hardly wobbled at all.

Linda Pacini, lead researcher for the satellite, said the experiment proved that a satellite equipped with magnetic rods and weighted on one end can stabilize itself using only its own mass and Earth's magnetic field. The study could lead to cheaper, longer-lasting satellites.

Within hours of releasing the craft Wednesday, astronauts noticed it already had begun to orient itself. By Saturday, its flight path was mostly straight, with a slight wobble. The shake diminished even more by Monday.

Also on Monday, Endeavour and the Russian space station Mir were linked by radio for a friendly chat as they flew about 1,000 miles apart. American astronaut Shannon Lucid, flying aboard Mir until August, made a tongue-in-cheek offer for the shuttle to drop by Mir for tea.

The shuttle will not link, and was not planned to link, with Mir on this flight.

Endeavour was due to land, weather permitting, at Kennedy Space Center Wednesday morning.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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