CHAPTER 4 DAY IN THE LIFE: THE MAKING OF A MISSION 86 Figure 22. President Barack Obama talks to the astronauts (seen in a video linkup in the top right of the picture) while students look on. Although the president could see the astronauts, no video was transmitted in other direction therefore, the astronauts could not see what was happening at the White House. Due to the length of the mission and the intense work being performed to that point, part of the 9th day of the flight was crew time off. At this time, the crew members get to rest and enjoy some views from the Cupola. But first, as soon as the crew members awoke, they had a linkup with the president (Figure 22). After a brief period of rest, the crew began preparing for the final spacewalk, which would take place the next day. Analysis of imagery taken during the first spacewalk revealed that the clearance with the radiator and the PMA3 should be sufficient. Therefore, PMA3 was relocated to the end of Node 3. As an extra precaution, the radiator was slowly rotated as the Thermal Operations and Resources flight control team watched to ensure there would be no contact. The team confirmed that everything was good. Without incident, EVA 3 integrated the B side of the ammonia lines, this time with no ammonia leak. Insulation was removed from the Cupola shutters during the spacewalk, and the windows were opened for the first time. Even in a business routinely filled with amazing visuals—a Space Shuttle launch, the ISS floating above the Earth, a person in a space suit floating among the heavens—the view from the Cupola was stunning (Figure 23). As quickly as the storm began, the mission started to wind down. Although not every task was complete, it was time for the crew of Endeavour to undock and