Red Team leader Commander Kevin Kregel, and colleagues Janet
Kavandi and Gerhard Thiele initiated extension of the radar mast
at 5:27 p.m. CST. After 17 minutes, all 87 cube-shaped bays of
the carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, stainless steel, alpha
titanium, and Invar structure were deployed by 5:44 p.m. Total
length of the mast was 60.95 meters, or just under 200 feet. The
crew also maneuvered the shuttle into the proper attitude, or
orientation, for mapping. This orientation points the shuttle
payload bay - and its inboard and outboard radar antennas - at
the Earth. Endeavour's tail is leading the way as the shuttle
orbits about 150 statute miles above the surface. The Red Team
then began a series of jet thruster firings to test the ability
of dampers to absorb the force of planned maneuvering jet
firings and keep the inboard and outboard antennas properly
aligned. This alignment is crucial for scientists who will need
to combine the radar images received by the two sets of
antennas. The Shuttle Radar Topog