Point of View

Harmony

The moon’s huge pale face rose out of the eastern sky; the mountains silhouetted in its brilliance as it chased away the remnants of the day. I watch it take its place in the sky and think of the men and women currently in orbit around our planet. For the past few days I have been glued to the footage being transmitted back from the International Space Station and Space Shuttle Discovery as they orbit the earth 230 miles above the ground while traveling at over seventeen thousand miles per hour. When you think about the forces at work and the hostile environment, it’s hard not to be impressed. I have always been in awe of mankind’s achievements regarding space travel. The shear brilliance of the scientists and mathematicians who thought it all up mystifies me to this day. Seeing our home planet from space takes my breath away; its shimmering blue oceans and massive cloud formations, the transitions from orbital night and day, and the star light-like reflection of the night earth portray a peaceful setting. I try to imagine how it must look in person; I add it to my list of things to do before I die. Thanks to today’s technology we are no longer limited to second hand reports of the NASA missions in space.

Looking back with the aid of an externally mounted camera on board the International Space Station (ISS) the first glimpse of Discovery comes into view. Twelve statue miles in distance, the shuttle appears to be a distant star as the crew of Discovery receives a “go for burn” to close distance in preparation for docking to the ISS. A ring of light expands outward from the shuttle as the engines come to life and quickly fades into the darkness of space, Discovery now making noticeable progress towards its target. Discovery pursues the ISS, the earth a majestic backdrop as both vehicles travel over seventeen thousand miles per hour, closing distance, the crew of Discovery make subtle adjustments in pitch and attitude, a view through the aligning sight shows the docking location on the ISS. Now six hundred feet in distance, the shuttle slows to perform a Rolled Pitch Maneuver (RPM) which will rotate the shuttle head-over-heels to allow the crew of the ISS to inspect and digitally photograph the heat shield material for damage that may have occurred during launch. The shuttle noses slowly upward with the grace of a ballerina, the strobe lights of the surveying equipment reflecting off its belly; earth passing quickly by in the background. The chatter of all involved could be heard guiding the shuttle into position as it now makes its way closer to ISS. The final feet close distance until you hear the commander, Pamela Melroy, call out “capture.” A view from the ISS’s Canadian mobile arm shows both vehicles mated as one, both in orbit over earth.

The crew of both vehicles perform a couple procedures to insure a “tight” seal on the coupling device before opening the hatch that brings them together for the first time in over 140 days. They embrace each other like long lost friends reunited and celebrate their long journey before having to carry out the mission of deploying the “Harmony” module, a newly developed section, which will expand the International Space Station providing added living area for future astronauts and perhaps even...me.