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16 August 2007
Mission Managers clear Endeavour for Landing

Mission Specialists Barbara R. Morgan, holding a Challenger crew patch, and Alvin Drew talk with students at the Challenger Center for Space Science Education in Alexandria, Va. Image: NASA

The Mission Control Center in Houston informed the STS-118 and Expedition 15 crews late Thursday that Saturday’s spacewalk will not include repairs of Space Shuttle Endeavour’s heat shield.

After hours of reviewing data and imagery collected during the inspections by the STS-118 crew , the managers decided the damage did not pose a safety risk to the crew or Endeavour. The damage occurred during Endeavour’s climb to orbit on Aug. 8.

Early in the day, Mission Specialists Barbara Morgan and Alvin Drew participated in an education event with students at the Challenger Center for Space Science Education in Alexandria, Va. Morgan, an educator who became an astronaut, was first selected by NASA in 1985 as the backup to Teacher in Space Christa McAuliffe.

Following the Space Shuttle Challenger accident in 1986, Morgan continued to work with NASA on educational activities and returned to teaching elementary school in Idaho. She was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1998.

The center is honoring Morgan with the President George H.W. Bush Leadership Award, its top award.

Morgan and Drew also talked with reporters representing Associated Press Television, Reuters and Idaho Public Television.

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