4 ms·

I think the main factor might've been crew wakefulness. Since they launched around the same time, I think their body clocks would've been tuned to that time to

I think the main factor might've been crew wakefulness. Since they launched around the same time, I think their body clocks would've been tuned to that time too. They'd want all crew to be at the peak of their alertness in case of any emergency (particularly if they ended up having to deorbit in a hurry), so it might've been a significant factor in the timing.

spuz 2y ago
We're talking a wait of just 45 minutes to do the EVA in daylight so that doesn't sound plausible as a significant reason to do it at night.
- dotnet00 2y ago
  Ah that's a very good point, I was way too focused on the early morning timing and forgot about that.