Hatches between space shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station were opened about an hour ahead of schedule at 7:38 a.m. EDT.
The crew of 12 will be together until May 23, when space station crew members Dmitry Kondratyev, Cady Coleman and Paolo Nespoli undock and return home to Earth. Before departing, Kondratyev will hand over command of the station to Andrey Borisenko. After the shuttle crew’s departure, Borisenko will remain on the station with Alexander Samokutyaev and Ron Garan as a trio until the remainder of the Expedition 28 crew arrives June 9.
The crew members for space shuttle Endeavour’s STS-134 mission are Commander Mark Kelly, Pilot Gregory H. Johnson and Mission Specialists Michael Fincke, Greg Chamitoff, Andrew Feustel and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori.
During the 16-day mission, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) and spare parts including two S-band communications antennas, a high-pressure gas tank and additional spare parts for Dextre.
The STS-134 million is the penultimate orbiter flight and the final one for shuttle Endeavour. STS-134 is the 134th shuttle flight, the 25th flight for Endeavour and the 36th shuttle mission dedicated to station assembly and maintenance.
The shuttle’s first landing opportunity at Kennedy Space Center is scheduled for 2:32 a.m. on June 1.
