Coverage of STS-111 continues at Part 4 of the Journal.

• 07 June 2002 - Late Evening Update - Flight Day 3 was pretty eventful.  NASA reports:

  Crew Prepares to Attach MPLM to Station
  The STS-111 and Expedition Five crews reached their destination Friday when Space Shuttle Endeavour docked with the International Space Station at 11:25 a.m. CDT [12:25PM EDT/1625 GMT]. Inside Endeavour's payload bay are the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and the Mobile Remote Servicer Base System, which is also known as the MBS. Leonardo contains scientific equipment and supplies for Expedition Five. The MBS is a work platform that will be attached to the station Mobile Transporter on Monday and will provide lateral mobility for Canadarm2, the station's robot arm, as it traverses the main trusses.

  The highlight of Saturday's activities will be the installation of the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module to the station. Leonardo will be unberthed from Endeavour's payload bay about 8 a.m. central time [9AM EDT/1300 GMT] and should be released from the grip of the Shuttle's robotic arm and locked in place to the station about 2 1/2 hours later, shortly after 10:30 a.m. [11:30AM EDT/1530 GMT].

  During the remainder of STS-111’s stay at the station, Expedition Four will hold hand over briefings with Expedition Five, the STS-111 crew will perform three spacewalks and the Mobile Remote Servicer Base System will be installed onto the station. Endeavour is scheduled to undock from the station on June 15.

  Flight Day 2 videos are now available in the NASA Gallery and at The Houston Chronicle.

  
  

• 07 June - Evening Update - It's official: Expedition Five has taken command of Space Station Alpha.  NASA reports:

  Endeavour Arrives at Station
  STS-111's arrival marks the beginning of eight days of docked operations in which the Expedition Four and Five crews will swap places and the STS-111 crew will perform three spacewalks. The Expedition Four Crew -- Commander Yury Onufrienko and Flight Engineers Dan Bursch and Carl Walz -- officially ended their 181-day stay as residents of the International Space Station at 5:55 p.m. central time [6:55PM EDT/2255 GMT] today.

  When the oncoming Expedition Five Crew -- Commander Valery Korzun and Flight Engineers Peggy Whitson and Sergei Treschev -- transferred their custom-made Soyuz seat liners and entry suits from Endeavour to the International Space Station, it marked the official start of their tenure as the fifth expedition to live and work aboard the international outpost.

  The crews have a scheduled sleep time of 8:23 p.m. central time Friday [0123 GMT Saturday], and should awaken to begin their first full day of joint operations at 4:23 a.m. central time [5:23AM EDT/0923 GMT] Saturday.

  
  

• 07 June 2002 - Late Afternoon Update - The orbiting Shuttle-Space Station complex is now open, and the crews have finally met. NASA reports:

  Expedition Five Enters ISS
  Hatches between Endeavour and the International Space Station swung open today at 2:08 p.m. central time, allowing the Expedition Four crew of Yury Onufrienko, Dan Bursch and Carl Walz to greet their newest visitors and replacement crew members.

  The STS-111 crew - Commander Ken Cockrell, Pilot Paul Lockhart and Mission Specialists Philippe Perrin of CNES, and Franklin Chang-Diaz -- along with the new space station residents of Expedition Five -- Valery Korzun, Sergei Treschev and Peggy Whitson, quickly set to the business of transferring hardware and supplies between the two spacecraft.
  

  
  

• 07 June - Afternoon Update - The Shuttle has docked with the Space Station! NASA reports:

  Flying 240 statute miles over the South Pacific, Endeavour successfully docked to the International Space Station today, delivering the new Expedition Five crew to its orbital home for the next 4 1/2 months.

  Commander Ken Cockrell gently guided Endeavour to its linkup with the ISS at 11:25 a.m. Central time [12:25PM EDT/1625 GMT] after a textbook rendezvous. On board the station, Expedition Four Commander Yury Onufrienko and Flight Engineers Carl Walz and Dan Bursch looked on in their [181st] day on board the complex. Bursch, a Navy captain, rang the station ship's bell to signal the arrival of the orbiter and its crewmembers.

  Later today, hatches will swing open between the two vehicles, enabling Endeavour's crew -- including Expedition Five Commander Valery Korzun and Flight Engineers Peggy Whitson and Sergei Treschev -- to greet their counterparts.

  Once custom-made Soyuz vehicle seatliners are swapped out between the two Expedition crews, Korzun, Whitson and Treschev will officially take over control of ISS operations and Onufrienko, Walz and Bursch will become shuttle crewmembers.

  
  

• 07 June 2002 - Noon EDT- Endeavour is minutes away from docking. NASA reports:

  Endeavour is closing in for its docking to the International Space Station at 11:17 a.m. Central time [12:17PM EDT/1617 GMT]. Commander Ken Cockrell successfully executed the so-called Terminal Initiation rendezvous burn just before 9 a.m. [10:00AM EDT/1400 GMT], putting Endeavour on track for a linkup to the Station and the arrival of the Expedition Five crew at their new home for the next 4 1/2 months.

  It's a bird, it's a plane...
  The Space Shuttle Endeavour left Earth on Wednesday, June 5th, for a rendevous with the International Space Station. Shortly after launch, the shuttle raced over the Netherlands, where Cees Bassa spotted the spacecraft and took its picture. Both the streaking shuttle (white) and its jettisoned external fuel tank (orange) are visible in his photo.

  Watch NASA TV and check the play-by-play to follow the action!

  
  

• 07 June 2002 - Docking Day - Flight Day 3 has begun. Today we'll see Endeavour link up with Space Station Alpha.  NASA reports:

  Endeavour to Dock with ISS
  Space Shuttle Endeavour continues to close in on the International Space Station as the crew prepares for docking with the orbital outpost, which is scheduled to occur at 11:17 a.m. CDT [12:17PM EDT/1617 GMT] today as the two vehicles fly off the northeast coast of Australia, south of New Guinea.

  When Commander Ken Cockrell, Pilot Paul Lockhart, Mission Specialists Philippe Perrin and Franklin Chang-Díaz and the Expedition Five crew -- Commander Valery Korzun and Flight Engineers Peggy Whitson and Sergei Treschev -- awoke this morning, the shuttle had closed to within 1,448 kilometers (900 statute miles) of the station.

  Endeavour blasted off under the same tight security as all the post-September 11 launches. Is the Shuttle a terrorist target?

• 06 June 2002 - Evening Update - Flight Day 2 is over, with Endeavour closing in on the ISS, where the Expedition 4 crew waits for their ride home after six months aboard the orbital outpost. Soccer fans that they are, they were happy to hear of the US and Russian victories in yesterday's World Cup play. NASA reports:

  Endeavour Races to Catch Up With ISS
  The STS-111 and Expedition Five crews spent their first full day on orbit preparing for their arrival at the International Space Station as Space Shuttle Endeavour continued to close in on the orbital outpost. Thursday’s activities included checkout of equipment that will be used during rendezvous and docking operations and activation of Endeavour’s robot arm. Also, STS-111 Commander Ken Cockrell and Pilot Paul Lockhart fired the shuttle’s engines to refine its chase of the station.

  [Tonight,] Endeavour's crew will sleep from 9:23 p.m. [10:23PM EDT Thursday/0223 GMT Friday] until 4:23 a.m. [5:23AM EDT/0923 GMT] Friday when they receive a wake-up call from Mission Control.

  The final phase of Endeavour's rendezvous with the station begins about 9 a.m. central time [10AM EDT/1400 GMT] Friday with the actual docking scheduled for 11:17 a.m. [12:17PM EDT/1617 GMT] After a series of integrity checks, the hatches between the two spacecraft will be opened about shortly after 1 p.m. [2PM EDT/1800 GMT] allowing the Expedition 4 residents of the space station to greet their guests from the STS-111 and Expedition 5 crews.

  More launch videos at JSC and The Washington Post.

  
  

• 06 June - Afternoon Update - Endeavour is streaking towards a rendezvous with Space Station Alpha.  NASA reports:

  Expedition Four's Time on ISS Winding Down
  The Expedition Four crewmembers have entered the final stretch of their stay aboard the International Space Station. Their replacements, the Expedition Five crew, launched from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour at 4:23 p.m. CDT [5:23PM EDT/2123 GMT] Wednesday. STS-111 is slated to dock with the station at 11:18 a.m. CDT [12:18PM EDT/1618 GMT] Friday.

  Watch NASA TV on Friday to see coverage of STS-111's arrival at the International Space Station. Docking is slated to occur at 11:17 a.m. CDT [12:17PM EDT/1617 GMT]. The hatches between the two spacecraft will be opened and the crews will greet each other about 1:13 p.m. CDT [2:13PM EDT/1813 GMT]. NASA TV Schedule

  Congratulations to Dr. Franklin Chang-Diaz, who has tied Jerry Ross' record for most space missions. This is his seventh time in orbit (and it will be his first time doing a spacewalk!).

  
  

• 06 June 2002 - Flight Day 2 - The STS-111 crew's first full day in space has them chasing the International Space Station. NASA reports:

  Crew Prepares for Docking
  The five astronauts and two cosmonauts aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour will spend their first full day in orbit preparing for their arrival at the International Space Station. Commander Ken Cockrell and Pilot Paul Lockhart will fire the shuttle's engines to increase Endeavour's altitude and continue to close in on the station. Also, Cockrell and Mission Specialist Philippe Perrin will activate Space Shuttle Endeavour's robot arm.

  Endeavour is slated to dock with station at 11:18 a.m. CDT [12:18PM EDT/1618 GMT] Friday. It will be delivering the Expedition Five crew, the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and the Mobile Remote Servicer Base System, which is also known as the MBS. Also, the STS-111 crew will perform three spacewalks at the orbital outpost.

  Watch NASA TV at 11:48 a.m. CDT [12:48PM EDT/1648 GMT] Thursday to see STS-111 Commander Ken Cockrell and Mission Specialist Franklin Chang-Díaz receive a call from Costa Rican President Abel Pacheco and hold interviews with Univision and Telemundo. NASA TV Schedule

  Launch pics are up at the JSC and KSC galleries.

• 05 June 2002 - Evening Update - Flight Day 1 draws to a close, after today's successful liftoff. Docking with Space Station Alpha is slated for 12:18PM EDT (1618 GMT) Friday. NASA reports:

  Endeavour Launches, Heads to ISS
  STS-111 is en route to the International Space Station after a successful launch at 4:23 p.m. CDT (2123 GMT) Wednesday from Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

  STS-111 is Endeavour's 18th flight and the 14th shuttle flight to the station. With the successful launch, STS-111 Mission Specialist Franklin Chang-Diaz became the second human to make seven space flights. He shares the record with Astronaut Jerry Ross.

  About a half-hour after the launch, the Expedition 4 crew on board the Station was notified that Endeavour was on its way. Endeavour is slated to dock with the International Space Station Friday afternoon. [The Shuttle will] depart the station on June 15 and land June 17, returning the Expedition Four crew to Earth.

  The crew sleep period begins tonight at 11:23PM EDT (0323 GMT Thursday), and they will awaken tomorrow at 7:23AM EDT (1123 GMT).

  Launch videos are available at KSC, and The Houston Chronicle.

  
  

• 05 June - LIFTOFF! - Under sunny skies(!) Endeavour lifted off flawlessly from Kennedy Space Center right on time today, on her mission to the International Space Station. NASA reports:

  Shuttle Heads to Station
  NASA's latest crew exchange mission to the station successfully launched Wednesday, June 5, 2002, at approximately 5:22 EDT. This launch marks 10 years in service for the shuttle Endeavour. STS-111, will deliver the the Mobile Remote Servicer Base System and the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module to the orbital outpost. The STS-111 crew includes Commander Kenneth Cockrell, Pilot Paul Lockhart, and Mission Specialists Franklin Chang-Diaz and Philippe Perrin, as well as the Expedition Five crew members Valeri Korzun, Peggy Whitson and Sergei Treschev.

  The Public Affairs announcer exclaimed that Endeavour was "Extending our reach, while expanding our research in space" as the Shuttle leapt into the sky.

  
  

• 05 June - 4:30PM EDT Update - With less than an hour to go, things are looking good. Weather continues to improve. Keep an eye on the play-by-play links at right (we just added a new one). New preflight pics are up at KSC.

  
  

• 05 June - Afternoon Update - The countdown continues towards today's 5:22:48PM EDT (2122 GMT) launch time. The crew has boarded Endeavour, and preflight radio checks are being done. Weather is looking up, but thick clouds still threaten today's liftoff.

  
  

• 05 June 2002 - Launch Day - Endeavour is being fueled up. NASA officials feel that odds of good weather, though only 40%, justify commencement of tanking operations.

  Watch NASA TV, and follow the links at right for up-to-the-minute play-by-play. Check out the live cams at KSC.

For preflight reports from the original launch date up to just before liftoff (nearly a week of scrubs), see Part 2 of our Mission Journal.