STS-113 MCC Status Report #24 
Thursday, December 5, 2002 10 a.m. CST 
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas 

The Space Shuttle Endeavour will spend at least one more day in space
after rain, clouds and windy conditions at the Kennedy Space Center
prompted flight controllers to wave off today's opportunities to bring
Endeavour and its crew of seven home. 

There are two opportunities for Endeavour to return home to Florida on
Friday. The first begins with an engine firing at 11:51 a.m. Central Time
leading to a 12:57 p.m. touchdown in Florida. A second opportunity is
available with a 1:27 p.m. deorbit burn leading to a 2:33 p.m. landing. 

Flight controllers will continue to monitor weather forecasts throughout
the day. Preliminary forecasts indicate a continuing chance of clouds and
rain over the next 24 hours. The alternate shuttle landing site at
Edwards Air Force Base in California will not be called up for support
Friday. Endeavour has enough supplies to remain in orbit until at least
Sunday if necessary. 

Aboard Endeavour are Commander Jim Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart,
Mission Specialists Mike Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington and the
returning International Space Station Expedition Five crew of Commander
Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer
Sergei Treschev. Wetherbee, Lockhart, Lopez-Alegria and Herrington have
been aloft since Nov. 23. Korzun, Whitson and Treschev have been in orbit
since June 5. 

The next Mission Control Center Status Report will be issued Friday
morning or as events warrant.