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STS-117 MCC Status Reports


Waspie_Dwarf

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The MCC Status Reports issued by NASA are similar to the Shuttle Processing Status Reports except that they are updates on a mission in progress rather than shuttle ground activities.

MCC status reports for previous mission can be found here: STS-121, STS-115 & STS-116.

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06.08.07
7:30 p.m. CDT, Friday, June 8, 2007

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-01

STS-117 MCC Status Report #01

The Space Shuttle Atlantis rocketed into a Florida twilight sky on time at 6:38 p.m. CDT today, kicking off the first of four shuttle missions scheduled this year.

Atlantis' climb to orbit was flawless, carrying a seven-member crew. Aboard Atlantis are Commander Rick Sturckow, Pilot Lee Archambault, and mission specialists Patrick Forrester, Steven Swanson, John “Danny†Olivas, Jim Reilly and Clayton Anderson.

As Atlantis launched, the International Space Station flew 220 miles above the southern Indian Ocean, southwest of Australia. On the station awaiting Atlantis’ arrival are Expedition 15 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and flight engineers Oleg Kotov and Suni Williams. The station crew watched Atlantis’ launch on a video link sent by Mission Control.

Atlantis will link up with the station on Sunday to begin a joint mission that will increase the complex’s power generation capability. Using the shuttle and station robotic arms and conducting three spacewalks, the astronauts will install another set of giant solar array wings on the station and retract another array, preparing it for a future move.

Anderson and Williams will switch places within hours after Atlantis arrives. Anderson will begin a four-month stay on the station. Williams will journey home on Atlantis. Williams has been on the station since December and will return to Earth with a record for the longest female spaceflight in history.

After reaching orbit, Atlantis’ crew began procedures to open the shuttle’s payload bay doors and set up computers and other equipment. They also will power up the shuttle's robotic arm to check its operation. They will use the arm on Saturday to inspect Atlantis’ heat shield. On Sunday, Atlantis is scheduled to dock to the station at about 2:36 p.m. CDT. The shuttle crew begins a sleep period at 12:38 a.m. CDT Saturday and will awaken for their first full day in space at 8:38 a.m. CDT Saturday.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #01

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06.09.07
9:30 a.m. CDT Saturday, June 9, 2007

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-02

STS-117 MCC Status Report #02

The astronauts on board Space Shuttle Atlantis got their first on-orbit wakeup call this morning on their way to a Sunday afternoon rendezvous to deliver a new crewmember and a new set of solar arrays to the International Space Station.

“Big Boy Toys†by Aaron Tippin, sounded on board the orbiter at 9:10 a.m. CDT, played for Commander Rick Sturckow. The crew was given an extra half hour to sleep this morning after being kept up late to finish downloading in-cabin video.

Today Pilot Lee Archambault and Mission Specialists Patrick Forrester and Steven Swanson will use the shuttle’s robotic arm to unberth the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS) for a detailed examination of Atlantis’ thermal protection system. Last night they took a closer look at an area of insulation blanket on the port orbital maneuvering system pod that was seen to be pulled away from adjacent thermal tiles during the robot arm checkout late Friday.

In parallel to today's inspection, Mission Specialists John “Danny†Olivas, Jim Reilly and Clayton Anderson will conduct a thorough checkout of the spacesuits to be worn during the three spacewalks planned for the docked operations at ISS and prepare them and other EVA hardware for transfer to the station.

Later, in preparation for docking, the crew will install a centerline camera, extend the outer ring of the Orbiter Docking System, and check out rendezvous tools. Sturckow is scheduled to fly Atlantis to a docking with ISS at 2:36 p.m. Sunday.

After hatch opening and welcome, Anderson will transfer his seat liner into the Soyuz spacecraft docked to the Zarya module and officially become a member of the station’s Expedition 15 crew, joining Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov. Flight Engineer Suni Williams, who’s been in space since her launch last Dec. 9, joins the shuttle crew and will return to Earth with them.

Delivery of the S3/S4 Truss segment, which includes a new pair of giant solar arrays for power generation, begins shortly after docking tomorrow when the shuttle robot arm is used to lift it from the payload bay and hand it off to the station’s robotic manipulator. Installation of the truss segments occurs Monday in conjunction with the first spacewalk of the mission, conducted by Reilly and Olivas.

The next STS-117 status report will be issued Saturday evening or earlier if events warrant.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #02

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06.09.07
8:00 p.m. CDT Saturday, June 9, 2007

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-03

STS-117 MCC Status Report #03

During its first full day in orbit, the STS-117 crew inspected Space Shuttle Atlantis’ heat shield and prepared for tomorrow’s docking with the International Space Station scheduled for 2:38 p.m. CDT.

Pilot Lee Archambault and Mission Specialists Patrick Forrester and Steven Swanson used the shuttle’s robotic arm and an extension boom-mounted sensor system to inspect the heat shield on Atlantis’ wing leading edges and nose cap.

Last night the crew used the robotic arm to take a closer look at an area of insulation blanket on the port orbital maneuvering system pod that was seen to be pulled away from adjacent thermal tiles.

Prior to stowing the boom, the crew utilized the added reach to send Mission Control engineers up-close video of the displaced portion of the blanket. It will be analyzed along with the video from Friday night.

In preparation for Sunday’s docking, the crew extended the shuttle’s docking ring and checked out the rendezvous tools. The crew also installed a docking system centerline camera that will be used by Commander Rick Sturckow to align Atlantis with the station’s docking port.

While the robotic arm survey proceeded, Mission Specialists Danny Olivas, Jim Reilly and Clay Anderson checked and prepared the spacesuits they’ll wear during the three spacewalks on the fourth, sixth and eighth days of the mission. The major objective of the spacewalks is to install the station's newest component, the Starboard 3 and 4 (S3/S4) truss segments, unfurl a new set of solar arrays and fold and pack the right side of the Port 6 solar array.

On the space station, Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Suni Williams prepared the orbiting laboratory for Atlantis’ arrival tomorrow. She readied the digital cameras that will be used to take high-resolution photos of the shuttle's heat shield. Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin pressurized the docking port at the back end of the U.S. laboratory, Destiny.

Tomorrow as Atlantis makes its final approach to the station, Sturckow will take control of Atlantis and begin a slow back-flip rotation allowing Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov to photograph the shuttle’s heat shield. Williams will videotape the maneuver.

Once the back-flip is complete, Sturckow will maneuver Atlantis to docking, setting the stage for a week of joint operations between the two crews.

After hatch opening and welcome, Anderson will transfer his seat liner to the Soyuz spacecraft and officially become a member of the station’s Expedition 15 crew, joining Yurchikhin and Kotov. Williams, who’s been in space since her launch last Dec. 9, will return home with Atlantis’ crew.

Delivery of the S3/S4 Truss segment, which includes a new pair of giant solar arrays for power generation, begins shortly after docking tomorrow when the shuttle robotic arm is used to lift it from the payload bay and hand it off to the station’s robotic manipulator. Installation of the truss segments occurs Monday in conjunction with the first spacewalk of the mission, conducted by Reilly and Olivas.

The next STS-117 status report will be issued Sunday morning or earlier if events warrant.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #03

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06.10.07
Sunday, June 10, 2007 - 8:30 a.m. CDT

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-04

STS-117 MCC Status Report #04

Space Shuttle Atlantis is only hours away from delivering a new set of solar array wings, and a new crew member, to the International Space Station. Docking of the shuttle to the station is targeted for 2:38 p.m. CDT.

The shuttle crew was awakened at 8:08 a.m. with “Riding the Sky,†written and performed by Johnson Space Center employees David Kelldorf and Brad Loveall for Mission Specialist Clayton Anderson. At the same time, a wakeup tone sounded on the station for Expedition 15 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineers Oleg Kotov and Suni Williams. Rendezvous operations for the shuttle crew to bring their ship together with the station begin at 9:38 a.m., and the terminal initiation engine firing, which puts Atlantis on course to close the final nine miles to the station, is set for 12 p.m.

At 1:37 p.m., at a distance of 600 feet below the station, Atlantis Commander Rick Sturckow will fly the rendezvous pitch maneuver. The maneuver is a back flip that will allow Yurchikhin and Kotov to photograph heat shield tiles on the shuttle’s underside. The images will be transmitted to the ground for analysis.

After the hatches open, Kotov and Anderson will transfer Anderson’s customized Soyuz seat liner into the Russian spacecraft in place of that of Williams. The transfer will make Anderson an official station crew member, and Williams a member of the shuttle crew. Delivery of the flight's primary payload, the bus-sized S3/S4 truss element with its new solar arrays, will start at about the same time. Using the shuttle robotic arm, Pilot Lee Archambault and Mission Specialist Patrick Forrester will grapple the 35,678-pound truss section, lift it from the payload bay and hand it off to the station's robotic arm, controlled by Williams.

The truss section will be installed Monday in conjunction with the first spacewalk of the flight, conducted by Mission Specialists Jim Reilly and John “Danny†Olivas. Reilly and Olivas will spend tonight "camped out" inside the Quest airlock, with air pressure lowered to help purge nitrogen from their bodies in preparation for the excursion. The next STS-117 status report will be issued Sunday evening or earlier if events warrant.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #04

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06.10.07
Sunday, June 10, 2007 - 8:00 p.m. CDT

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-05

STS-117 MCC Status Report #05

The crew of Space Shuttle Atlantis officially was welcomed by the International Space Station crew this afternoon at 4:20 CDT with handshakes and hugs. Shuttle Commander Rick Sturckow was the first to enter the station followed soon after by the rest of the STS-117 crew.

The shuttle and space station docked at 2:36 p.m. CDT while traveling 220 miles above the northeast coast of Australia. Atlantis’ stay is planned for seven days of joint operations. Hatch opening between the two spacecraft occurred at 4:04 p.m. CDT.

Shortly after welcoming the shuttle crew, station Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov and shuttle Mission Specialist Clayton Anderson transferred Anderson’s customized Soyuz seat liner into the Russian spacecraft in place of that of Flight Engineer Suni Williams. The transfer at 7:55 p.m. CDT marked the official swap of Anderson for Williams as a station crewmember. Williams spent 181 days on the station and now is an Atlantis crewmember for the remainder of the mission. She has been in space for 183 days.

Prior to docking, Sturckow flew Atlantis through an orbital back flip while stationed about 600 feet below the space station. The maneuver was documented with long-range, high resolution cameras by Kotov and Expedition 15 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin to document the shuttle’s heat shield.

Mid-morning, Mission Specialist John “Danny†Olivas used a 400 mm camera to get up-close shots of the port orbital maneuvering system. He shot those photos from the crew cabin aft window. During a check Friday night, an area of insulation blanket on the pod was seen to be pulled away from the adjacent thermal tiles. Those photos were downlinked for review by imagery analysts and mission managers.

Following docking, Pilot Lee Archambault and Mission Specialist Patrick Forrester used the shuttle's robotic arm to grapple the 17.8 ton S3/S4 truss, lift it from its berth in the payload bay, and maneuver it for handover to the station's Canadarm2. The S3/S4 truss is the heaviest station payload the shuttle has carried, to date.

After hatch opening, Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Suni Williams used the Canadarm2 to take the truss from the shuttle’s robotic arm. That task was completed at 7:28 p.m. CDT marking the completion of handover of the new truss segment to the station. The truss will remain grappled to the station’s arm overnight and installed Monday in conjunction with the first spacewalk by Mission Specialists Jim Reilly and Olivas.

The first of three planned spacewalks is scheduled to begin just before 2 p.m. CDT Monday and will be staged out of the station’s Quest airlock. Archambault, Kotov and Forrester will position the truss at the edge of the S1 truss using the station’s arm. Reilly and Olivas will connect power cables on the truss, release restraints for the Solar Array Blanket Boxes that hold the solar arrays and the Beta Gimbal Assemblies that serve as the structural link between the truss’ integrated electronics and the Solar Array Wings.

Reilly and Olivas will spend tonight "camped out" inside the Quest airlock, with air pressure lowered to help purge nitrogen from their bodies in preparation for the excursion. The next STS-117 mission status report will be issued Monday morning or earlier if events warrant.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #05

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06.11.07
Sunday, June 11, 2007 - 9:00 a.m. CDT

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-06

STS-117 MCC Status Report #06

A spacewalk to install and activate a new set of solar array wings highlights the first full day of docked operations of space shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station.

Most of the crewmembers got an 8:08 a.m. CDT wakeup call with the song “It Probably Always Will†by the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, played for Mission Specialist Steven Swanson. Spacewalkers Jim Reilly and John “Danny†Olivas, who spent the night in the Quest airlock under reduced atmospheric pressure to facilitate the purge of nitrogen from their bloodstreams, were allowed to sleep in until 8:38 a.m.

Starting shortly after 10 a.m. Pilot Lee Achambault, Mission Specialist Patrick Forrester and Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov will use the station’s Canadarm2 to maneuver the S3/S4 Truss to the outboard end of the S1 Truss and into position so that four bolts can be driven to form a hard mate between the two components.

Activation of the new truss segments will be done during the spacewalk starting at 1:53 p.m., when Reilly, designated EV1 and wearing the suit with red stripes, and Olivas, EV2 and wearing a suit with no stripes, emerge from the Quest airlock.

Over the course of the next 6½ hours they will connect power, data and cooling cables between S1 and S3; release the launch restraints from and deploy the four solar array blanket boxes on S4 and release the cinches and winches holding the photovoltaic radiator on S4. They also will rotate the keel pin on S3; rigidize four Alpha Joint Interface Structure struts and install one Drive Lock Assembly on the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint; and remove some of the SARJ launch locks and restraints.

In parallel to those activities the ISS Flight Control Team in Mission Control Houston will begin the commanding to activate the two new power channels and to deploy the new truss’ radiator. The spacewalk is scheduled to conclude at 8:23 p.m. CDT.

While the spacewalk proceeds the newest member of the ISS crew will be learning about his new home on orbit. Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson is scheduled for handover briefings with his predecessor, astronaut Suni Williams, and has unstructured time to facilitate his adaptation to his new surroundings.

The next STS-117 status report will be issued Monday evening after the spacewalk, or earlier if events warrant.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #06

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06.11.07
Sunday, June 11, 2007 - 10:00 p.m. CDT

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-07

STS-117 MCC Status Report #07

The International Space Station grew in size and capability today when the S3/S4 Truss became a permanent addition as crewmembers worked inside and outside the complex to complete the final hookups.

The work culminated in a 6 hour, 15 minute spacewalk by shuttle astronauts Jim Reilly and Danny Olivas, who focused on final attachment of bolts, cables, and connectors to begin the activation of the truss and ready it for deployment of its solar arrays.

The spacewalk began at 3:02 p.m. CDT and ended at 9:17 p.m. CDT and was the 84th devoted to station assembly and maintenance totaling 515 hours, 20 minutes.

The spacewalk was delayed for about an hour after the station temporarily lost attitude control when the station’s control moment gyroscopes went offline due to the mass of the new truss segment in the final stage of its attachment. The loss was not unexpected because of the station’s skewed asymmetry as the 17.8 ton bus-size S3/S4 truss was being moved toward the S1 truss.

Pilot Lee Archambault, Mission Specialist Patrick Forrester and Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov tightened the final of four bolts permanently mating the new 45-foot truss to the outboard end of the S1 truss. The installation paved the way for the start of the spacewalk – the fourth for Reilly and first for Olivas. Once completed, the truss will stretch 356 feet from end to end.

Once the spacewalk began, Reilly and Olivas moved quickly through their tasks of releasing the launch restraints on the four Solar Array Blanket Boxes, which house the folded solar arrays. Their work sets the stage for the deployment of the solar arrays Tuesday.

The next STS-117 status report will be issued Tuesday morning after crew wake up, or earlier if events warrant.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #07

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06.12.07
8:30 a.m. CDT Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-08

STS-117 MCC Status Report #08

The International Space Station’s new solar array wings are spreading today while the 10 astronauts and cosmonauts get ready for the second spacewalk during this flight of space shuttle Atlantis.

The day began at 8:08 a.m. with the wakeup song “What a Wonderful World†by Louis Armstrong, played for Mission Specialist Danny Olivas. Olivas and Mission Specialist Jim Reilly completed a 6-hour, 15-minute spacewalk yesterday to complete the hardware installation of the S3/S4 Truss segments, which cleared the way for flight controllers to activate the new components.

Overnight ISS flight controllers commanded the initial minimal deployment of both solar array wings. Starting at 10:43 this morning shuttle Commander Rick Sturckow, Pilot Lee Archambault and Mission Specialists Pat Forrester, Steve Swanson, Suni Williams, Olivas and Reilly are scheduled to observe and assist in the complete deployment of those solar arrays to their full 115-foot length.

After lunch the shuttle crewmembers all get a couple of hours off duty before beginning preparations for a spacewalk by Forrester and Swanson tomorrow. They will assist with the initial stages of retraction of the starboard side solar array on the P6 module before removing the remaining launch restraints on the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint on S3/S4. That’s required to permit the SARJ to rotate so the new solar arrays can track the sun while the station orbits the Earth.

The shuttle crew and the Expedition 15 crewmembers, Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineers Oleg Kotov and Clay Anderson, are awaiting word from the Mission Management Team on the plan for the mission’s third and fourth spacewalks. The MMT extended the mission by two days and added a fourth EVA to provide time to repair the raised thermal blanket on the Orbital Maneuvering System pod. A decision about whether that job will be done on EVA 3 or EVA 4 is expected today.

The next STS-117 status report will be issued Tuesday evening, or earlier if events warrant.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #08

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06.12.07
9:00 p.m. CDT Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-09

STS-117 MCC Status Report #09

The International Space Station today spread its wings again with the activation of a new pair of solar arrays that will generate enough power to supply about eight homes. The extra power sets the stage for addition of European and Japanese laboratories later this year and early next.

Prior to crew wake up this morning, station controllers began unfurling the solar array attached to the newly installed S3/S4 truss segment. Space Shuttle Atlantis astronauts then took over, unfolding one wing at a time in stages, pausing to let the solar array panels soak up some sun, which helps to prevent the thin individual panels from sticking together. They finished unfolding the first wing at 11:29 a.m. and the second at 12:58 p.m. – both are now capable of generating power.

Tomorrow at about 1 p.m., Mission Specialists Patrick Forrester and Steve Swanson head outside on their first of two spacewalks to remove launch locks from the 10-foot-wide solar alpha rotary joint to free the arrays to rotate and track the sun. During the six-hour spacewalk, the spacewalkers will help flight controllers fold up an older solar array to make room for the rotation. That retracted pair of arrays and corresponding truss segment eventually will be relocated and redeployed to add even more power capability to the station.

Late in the day, the station experienced a problem with a Russian navigation computer that challenged flight controllers in Houston and Moscow to manage the station’s attitude in space. Several methods of attitude control are available – Russian thrusters, Atlantis thrusters, or station electrically-driven gyroscopes.

The crew or station never was in danger throughout the troubleshooting efforts, and the station’s gyroscopes took over attitude control shortly after 8 p.m. That was followed by relocation of the Mobile Transporter in preparation ahead of tomorrow’s spacewalk.

The problem with the navigation computer began when flight controllers attempted to turn attitude control over to the station computers after letting shuttle computers handle it while the arrays were unfolded. The computer would not allow them to do so, and forced a reboot of the main Russian command and control computer, which triggered an alarm enunciating the problem to the crew and ground controllers.

Meanwhile, mission managers still are mulling over the best course of action for repairing a raised corner of a thermal insulation blanket that came loose during launch last Friday. The Mission Management Team elected to wait at least one more day so that engineers could develop detailed plans for a spacewalking task to be carried out during the third or fourth spacewalk (Friday or Sunday).

Ground tests will be performed to understand which repair technique provides the greatest potential for success.

The next STS-117 status report will be issued Wednesday morning after crew wakeup, or earlier if events warrant.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #09

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06.13.07
8:30 a.m. CDT Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-10

STS-117 MCC Status Report #10

A pair of spacewalking astronauts is getting ready for a 6½-hour excursion this afternoon to help retract an old solar array wing and get two new ones ready to go to work.

Mission Specialists Patrick Forrester and Steven Swanson, who camped out in the Quest airlock as part of their spacewalk preparations, and their crewmates were awakened at 8:08 a.m. CDT with “Questions 67 and 68” by Chicago, played for Pilot Lee Archambault.

While Mission Specialists Danny Olivas and Suni Williams help the spacewalkers get ready, the other Atlantis astronauts will be working the early steps of retraction of the 2B solar array wing, on the starboard side of the P6 Truss. Commander Rick Sturckow, Archambault and Mission Specialist Jim Reilly will send commands and monitor the retraction for any repeat of the difficulties with folding panels and sticking guide wires that were encountered on a similar retraction last December.

When Forrester and Swanson exit Quest at 1:03 p.m. they’ll move up the P6 Truss to monitor the retraction and to assist if required. Forrester, who will be in a foot restraint on the station’s robot arm, and Swanson will have specially-prepared tools to use to help the panels of photovoltaic cells fold properly.

After 45 minutes the spacewalkers will move on to the primary job of the day, preparing the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint between the S3 and S4 Truss segments for rotation. Forrester and Swanson will remove all remaining locks and restraints that held the joint safely in place during launch so that the joint is free to rotate, enabling the new solar array wings on S4 to track the sun as ISS orbits the Earth. The spacewalk is scheduled to end at 7:33 p.m.

Expedition 15 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineers Oleg Kotov and Clayton Anderson are scheduled to work on the transfer of supplies, and Anderson has time in his schedule for handover briefings and familiarization with his new home in orbit.

The next STS-117 status report will be issued Wednesday evening after the spacewalk, or earlier if events warrant.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #10

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06.13.07
11 p.m. CDT Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-11

STS-117 MCC Status Report #11

Just a few launch restraint bolts stand between the International Space Station’s new solar arrays and rotation, following a seven hour and 16 minute spacewalk by Mission Specialists Patrick Forrester and Steve Swanson. Meanwhile, managers approved a repair task for a damaged thermal blanket to be carried out during the next spacewalk Friday.

During the second spacewalk of Space Shuttle Atlantis’ mission, Forrester and Swanson today removed all of the launch locks holding the 10-foot-wide solar alpha rotary joint in place. The spacewalkers had planned to remove the joint’s launch restraints as well, but left them for a later spacewalk.

The spacewalkers ran into a problem when Forrester tried to install a drive-lock assembly and found that commands being sent to it were actually being received by a drive-lock assembly installed during the mission’s first spacewalk. Flight controllers confirmed that the drive-lock assembly installed earlier was in a safe configuration and are working to confirm that the newly installed assembly is as well.

Once fully activated, the drive-lock assemblies engage gears permitting the massive joint to rotate allowing the arrays to track the sun as the station circles the Earth.

To enable it to do so, spacewalkers also had to help retract an older solar array to clear the new array’s path. The process is delicate, as the panels of the solar arrays tend to get caught on their guide wires and fold in the wrong direction. Flight controllers started the retraction before the crew woke up, and were able to get seven and a half of the 31.5 solar array bays folded. Then, on the spacewalk, Forrester and Swanson were able to poke and prod another five and a half bays worth of panels into folding correctly before moving on to other tasks.

The astronauts also were able to make sure the arrays were in a good configuration for another try by flight controllers on Thursday. If necessary, the spacewalkers could provide more hands-on help during one of the mission’s remaining two spacewalks.

Meanwhile, as the second spacewalk continued, mission managers decided that at least part of the third spacewalk, scheduled for Friday, will be dedicated to repairing a raised corner of a thermal insulation blanket that came loose from the shuttle during launch. Mission Specialist Danny Olivas will staple the corner to an adjacent blanket and use pins to secure it to a thermal protection tile.

Russian flight controllers will be working overnight to resolve a problem with the Russian segment computers that provide backup attitude control and orbital altitude adjustments. For now, the station’s control moment gyroscopes are handling attitude control, with the shuttle’s propulsion providing backup.

The next STS-117 status report will be issued Thursday morning or earlier if events warrant.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #11

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06.14.07
9 a.m. CDT Thursday, June 14, 2007

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-12

STS-117 MCC Status Report #12

Solar array retraction and spacewalk preparation are the focus of the crews on board space shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station today.

At 7:39 a.m. CDT Mission Control in Houston played the wakeup song "Indescribable" by Chris Tomlin for Mission Specialist Patrick Forrester, who completed a 7-hour, 16-minute spacewalk with Mission Specialist Steven Swanson yesterday. The crews had been awakened at 6:23 a.m. by a false fire alarm in the Zarya module, which was the result of troubleshooting Russian segment navigation computers which had just been successfully restarted by Mission Control in Moscow.

Beginning at 10:38 a.m. Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson joins Commander Rick Sturckow, Pilot Lee Archambault, Swanson and Mission Specialist Suni Williams to resume commanding the retraction of the solar array wing on the starboard side of the P6 Truss, which was about half retracted yesterday before and during the spacewalk. That job is on the schedule for the latter half of spacewalk 3 on Friday if it is not completed today.

In the meantime Forrester will work with Mission Specialists Jim Reilly and Danny Olivas to review the procedures for that spacewalk. Olivas will get in a foot restraint on the shuttle robot arm to repair the orbital maneuvering system pod thermal blanket that pulled away from the adjacent thermal tiles on launch last week. There is time in the schedule this afternoon for the crewmembers to practice the repair technique, and then this evening to conduct a tagup with spacewalk specialists in Houston before the spacewalkers begin their campout prebreathe protocol in the Quest airlock.

At 8:58 p.m. Sturckow, Archambault, Forrester and Swanson will discuss the progress of their flight in interviews with Fox News Radio and Denver television stations KMGH-TV and KUSA-TV.

The next STS-117 status report will be issued Thursday evening or earlier if events warrant.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #12

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06.14.07
8 p.m. CDT Thursday, June 14, 2007

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-13

STS-117 MCC Status Report #13

The space shuttle Atlantis and International Space Station crews inside the station today partially retracted a solar array and prepared for the third spacewalk that will focus on repair of a damaged thermal blanket on the shuttle and assisting "on the scene" with additional retraction of the array.

While the crew worked in space, Russian flight controllers with assistance from counterparts in Mission Control, Houston, continue to troubleshoot why navigation computers in the Russian segment are not operating.

Commander Rick Sturckow, along with Pilot Lee Archambault, Mission Specialist Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson, meticulously retracted the solar array blanket atop the P6 truss another three bays worth of panels.

In parallel, Jim Reilly and Danny Olivas completed a review of procedures for Friday's spacewalk, with the first task being to restore a thermal blanket on the shuttle's left Orbital Maneuvering System pod to its preflight condition using hands, medical staples, and pins to secure it in place. That spacewalk is set to begin at approximately 12:38 p.m. CDT.

After completing that task - timelined to take about 2 hours - the two astronauts will turn their attention to assisting with the retraction of the remaining paper-thin panels of a solar array, which provided early power to the station's pressurized modules, life support and avionics equipment.

Throughout Thursday, the crew carefully sent commands to retract the array as much as possible ahead of Friday's spacewalk. By last count, 15½ of the 31½ bays remain to be folded into a 20-inch-deep protective box.

As the crew headed into the final hours of Flight Day 7, the seven shuttle and three station crewmembers reviewed procedures for Friday, focusing on the blanket repair task of the spacewalk. Olivas will perform the repair while in a foot restraint on the end of the shuttle's robotic arm. The thermal blanket pulled loose during launch a week ago and was first noticed during a standard vehicle inspection by the crew shortly after launch.

The repair procedure will involve pressing down on the blanket and stapling one side of the 4-by-6-inch raised corner to an adjacent blanket. Olivas then will pin the other side of the blanket to a thermal tile. Engineers on the ground are conducting tests of the repair on mockups created to mirror the damaged blanket in space. The test articles are being subjected to heat loads and wind effects similar to what is expected for that part of the shuttle during reentry.

Flight controllers also stayed busy on the ground troubleshooting a problem with Russian computers that provide backup attitude control and orbital attitude adjustment for the station's control moment gyroscopes. Russian specialists are working closely with United States teams, concentrating on troubleshooting and restoring computer capabilities. They were able to get the computers working intermittently during the day and will continue working on the problem overnight. The station remains in a safe configuration, with attitude control handled by its control moment gyroscopes.

Before going to sleep just after 11 p.m., the crew also will talk about the mission with radio and television stations. That interview on NASA TV from the station's Destiny laboratory is set to begin at 8:58 p.m. Reilly and Olivas then will head into the Quest airlock to begin their campout prebreathe protocol designed to reduce the amount of nitrogen in their bodies, thus shortening the time required Friday to breathe pure oxygen ahead of the start of their second spacewalk of the mission.

The next STS-117 status report will be issued Friday morning or earlier if events warrant.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #13

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06.15.07
8 a.m. Friday, June 15, 2007

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-14

STS-117 MCC Status Report #14

Astronauts on space shuttle Atlantis are only hours from the week’s third spacewalk out of the International Space Station, a 6½-hour excursion to repair a thermal blanket on the orbiter and assist in folding up a solar array on the station.

The crew’s wakeup call came at 7:41 a.m. CDT with the song “Radar Love” by Golden Earring, played for Mission Specialist Steve Swanson.

Spacewalkers Jim Reilly and John “Danny” Olivas spent the night in the Quest airlock at reduced atmospheric pressure as part of the spacewalk preparation protocol. They’ll go out the door at 12:38 p.m. and Reilly will help Olivas set up to make repairs to a thermal blanket on Atlantis’ port orbital maneuvering system pod that was damaged during the shuttle’s climb to orbit last week.

Supported by the shuttle robot arm, Olivas will push the turned up portion of the thermal blanket back into position, use a medical stapler to secure the layers of the blanket, and pin it in place against adjacent thermal tile.

At the same time, Reilly will install a hydrogen vent valve in the forward section of the Destiny laboratory for a new oxygen generating system being installed there. The system separates water into its chemical components of oxygen and hydrogen, venting the hydrogen overboard and supplying the oxygen for the station crewmembers to breathe.

When they complete those tasks the spacewalkers will move to the top of the P6 Truss to assist in retraction of the remaining 15 mast bays of the starboard side solar array wing. Armed with tools specially designed for the task, Reilly and Olivas will keep the solar panels folding properly and unstick any stuck grommets on guide wires as their crewmates command the mast to retract. If they’re able to get the array completely retracted, Reilly and Olivas have a list of other jobs to do before ending the spacewalk.

Russian flight controllers are still troubleshooting a problem with Russian computers that provide backup attitude control and orbital attitude adjustment for the station’s control moment gyroscopes. Commands were sent early this morning to start the computers but only one lane of the central computer booted up; all three lanes of both the central computer and the terminal computer were deactivated just before 5 a.m. CDT. The current plan is to leave them turned off today while the teams in the Russian Mission Control Center compare notes and develop a forward plan of action. The station remains in a safe configuration, with attitude control handled by its control moment gyroscopes.

The next STS-117 status report will be issued Friday evening after the spacewalk, or earlier if events warrant.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #14

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06.15.07
10 p.m. Friday, June 15, 2007

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-15

STS-117 MCC Status Report #15

The situation aboard space shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station improved greatly today following repair of a protruding thermal blanket, restoring power to problematic Russian navigation computers, and completing retraction of a finicky solar array.

Mission Specialists Jim Reilly and Danny Olivas worked outside the station for 7 hours, 58 minutes and completed all their planned tasks. Olivas spent two hours stapling and pinning down a thermal blanket on Atlantis’ orbital maneuvering system pod. A 4-by-6-inch corner of the blanket peeled up during the shuttle’s launch last week.

Meanwhile, Reilly installed the hydrogen vent valve of a new oxygen generation system on the Destiny laboratory. The system will separate oxygen from water to provide breathing air, while dumping the remaining component – hydrogen – overboard.

When those tasks were completed, the two astronauts joined forces with their colleagues inside the shuttle and station and flight controllers in Houston to complete the delicate process of folding an older solar array so that it can be moved from its temporary location to its permanent home during a shuttle mission this fall.

Armed with lessons learned from last December’s shuttle mission when the other half of the array posed an identical challenge, the STS-117 mission team followed well-trained procedures to retract the array into its protective box. The retraction was completed and latches closed at 7:40 p.m. (7 hours, 15 minutes into the spacewalk). Reilly and Olivas provided hands-on assistance throughout the process.

The retraction sequence today required 28 commands, bringing the total for the retraction to 45.

Behind the scenes while the spacewalk was ongoing, Russian flight controllers were troubleshooting two Russian computers that provide backup attitude control and orbital altitude adjustments for the station’s control moment gyroscopes. Station commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov were able to get two of three lanes in both computers up and running after bypassing with external cabling what appeared to be a faulty power switch.

The computers are now being monitored for proper operation, awaiting additional data evaluation overnight when the station passes over Russian ground stations for detailed telemetry downlink. Each computer requires only one lane running to perform its duties.

One final spacewalk is planned for Sunday, when Mission Specialists Patrick Forrester and Steve Swanson will perform get-ahead tasks and finish preparing the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint for activation. Its function is to allow a new pair of solar arrays to track the Sun as the station circles the Earth.

The crew will spend part of Saturday getting ready for the last spacewalk and discuss the mission during the traditional news conference at 3 p.m.

The next STS-117 status report will be issued Saturday morning, or earlier if events warrant.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #15

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06.16.07
8:30 a.m. Saturday, June 16, 2007

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-16

STS-117 MCC Status Report #16

A new spaceflight endurance record was set this morning as 10 astronauts and cosmonauts slept on the docked space shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station.

At 12:47 a.m. CDT, Astronaut Suni Williams’ time in space since her launch last Dec. 9 reached 188 days and 4 hours, matching the mark for the longest single spaceflight ever by a woman space traveler. That mark was set by Astronaut Shannon Lucid on her flight to the Mir space station in 1996.

The wakeup call featuring the University of Texas at El Paso Fight Song, performed by the UTEP Pep Band, was played for Mission Specialist (and UTEP alumnus) John “Danny” Olivas at 7:38 a.m. CDT.

Today the four spacewalkers will spend time configuring the spacesuits and EVA tools used on Friday’s 7-hour, 58-minute EVA by Olivas and Mission Specialist Jim Reilly, and then preparing the Quest airlock for Sunday’s spacewalk by Mission Specialists Patrick Forrester and Steven Swanson.

The plan for EVA 4 includes verification of Drive Lock Assembly 2, one of a pair of mechanisms which will drive rotation of the S3/S4 Truss Solar Alpha Rotary Joint, and removal of the final launch restraints on the SARJ to enable its rotation so the solar arrays on S4 can track the sun. The spacewalkers will also remove a keel pin and drag link from S3, complete bolting down a piece of debris shielding on the Destiny laboratory, install a computer network cable on Unity, and remove a Global Positioning System antenna.

Crewmembers will spend time today transferring supplies between ISS and Atlantis, and at 5:18 p.m. will review the timeline for Sunday’s spacewalk. At 6:43 p.m. all 10 astronauts and cosmonauts get together in the Destiny laboratory for the Joint Crew News Conference.

Mission Control Moscow restarted the Russian computers that provide backup attitude control and orbital attitude adjustment for the station’s control moment gyroscopes Friday afternoon and confirmed that they were stable. This morning the Russian flight controllers began sending commands to restart some systems in the Russian segment of ISS.

The Russian central computer is now communicating with the U.S. command and control computer, and the Russian terminal computer is again talking to the U.S. navigation computers. Additional commanding and systems restarts are anticipated today as Russian specialists pore over operations data from the two computers.

The next STS-117 status report will be issued Saturday evening or earlier if events warrant.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #16

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06.16.07
8 p.m. Saturday, June 16, 2007

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-17

STS-117 MCC Status Report #17

In a continuing improvement of the onboard Russian computer system, all six channels are now operating in the two Russian command-and-control and the guidance-and-navigation computers that stopped operating three days ago.

During a news briefing from the Johnson Space Center Saturday afternoon, International Space Station Program Manager Michael Suffredini said, "We’re having a great day on orbit today."

Yesterday, station Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov were able to reenable four of the six channels in the computer systems after bypassing what appears to be a faulty power switch with external cabling.

The Russian cosmonauts repeated that same modification today on the last two channels, which were originally suspected to have failed. They are continuing to checkout and troubleshoot the computers. Meanwhile, the forward plan is to keep the original four channels active and keep the other two channels in "stand by" mode.

Engineering teams also plan to test the Russian attitude control system as early as Sunday morning, in order to confirm that it is operating and working well in concert with the U.S. system. The specifics of the test are still being defined but once executed, the teams will determine when shuttle Atlantis will depart the station. Undocking is currently scheduled for Tuesday morning.

Onboard, the rest of the crew today focused on transfer activities as well as preparations for a fourth spacewalk tomorrow. The ten astronauts, including Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Clay Anderson, and shuttle Commander Rick Sturckow, Pilot Lee Archambault, and mission specialists Pat Forrester, Steven Swanson, Danny Olivas, Jim Reilly and Sunita Williams, also participated in a joint crew news conference.

During their crew sleep, Williams established a new record for the longest single spaceflight by a female. At 12:47 a.m. CDT, Williams surpassed the longstanding 188 day and 4 hour record set by astronaut Shannon Lucid at the Mir space station in 1996.

"I was just in the right place at the right time," said Williams of the record. "It’s an honor to be here."

The four spacewalkers spent time working on the U.S. spacesuits. Olivas and Reilly finished their post-spacewalk spacesuit reconfiguration tasks, while Forrester and Swanson configured their suits and tools for their second spacewalk. The final spacewalk of the flight is set to begin Sunday morning at 11:33 a.m. CDT.

The spacewalk will include a few wrap up tasks associated with the new truss segment, including installation of the Drive Lock Assembly 2, which with a second DLA, drives rotation of the S3/S4 Truss Solar Alpha Rotary Joint. The spacewalkers also will remove the final six launch restraints on the SARJ to enable its rotation and remove a keel pin and drag link from S3. They’ll also complete installation of a debris shield on the Destiny laboratory, install a computer network cable on Unity and remove a Global Positioning System antenna.

The next STS-117 status report will be issued Sunday morning or earlier if events warrant.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #17

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06.17.07
Sunday, June 17, 2007 - 7 a.m. CDT

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-18

STS-117 MCC Status Report #18

For the fourth time in less than a week, the astronauts on Space Shuttle Atlantis are about to venture outside their spacecraft to press ahead with assembly of the International Space Station.

The crew’s wakeup call came at 6:38 a.m. CDT with the theme song from “Band of Brothers,” played for Mission Specialist Jim Reilly.

Spacewalkers Patrick Forrester and Steven Swanson begin their second EVA of the flight at 11:33 a.m., with Reilly choreographing the excursion from the shuttle flight deck. Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov will shadow Reilly as intravehicular crewmember, training to take that role for an upcoming station spacewalk.

The first task is to retrieve a TV camera stand from a stowage platform attached to Quest and install it on the S3 truss. From there the spacewalkers will move to the intersection of the S3 and S4 trusses to prepare the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint for rotation. Forrester will verify the installation of a second Drive Lock Assembly, the machine that turns the S4 truss so its solar array wings can track the sun. He will then help Swanson remove the last six SARJ launch restraints to free the joint to turn.

To clear the path on S3 for the Mobile Base System, Forrester and Swanson will remove temporary rail stops and the hardware that secured the S3/S4 in the shuttle payload bay. Then, they will translate back to the body of the station for a few get-ahead tasks.

As time permits, the spacewalkers plan to install a computer network cable on the Unity node, remove a Global Positioning System antenna, tighten the gimbal locks on the S-band Antenna Support Assembly, open the hydrogen vent valve on the Destiny laboratory that was installed on Friday’s spacewalk, and secure the orbital debris shield panel. Today’s spacewalk is scheduled to conclude at 6:03 p.m.

The Russian central computer and terminal computers continue in stable operation, each running on two of its three channels with the third in standby. Mission Control in Moscow has restarted all Russian systems except the Elektron, which is receiving power but not moded to generate oxygen, and is planning to fire Russian attitude control thrusters in conjunction with a maneuver of the mated stack to a water dump attitude on Monday.

The next STS-117 status report will be issued Sunday evening after the spacewalk, or earlier if events warrant.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #18

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06.17.07
Sunday, June 17, 2007 - 6:30 p.m. CDT

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-19

STS-117 MCC Status Report #19

Astronauts Patrick Forrester and Steve Swanson completed the fourth and final spacewalk of Atlantis’ mission at 5:54 p.m. CDT, wrapping up all the tasks planned for the mission and finishing some jobs that will reduce the workload for future spacewalkers.

The spacewalk was the 87th in support of station assembly and maintenance, the 59th staged out of the station and the 36th out of the Quest airlock. Eleven spacewalks have been completed this year and 14 remain.

Forrester and Swanson began the spacewalk at 11:25 a.m. The two made quick work of retrieving a TV camera and its support structure from a stowage platform attached to Quest and installing it on the S/3 truss. They then verified the Drive Lock Assembly (DLA) 2 configuration and removed the last six Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) launch restraints.

Inside, Mission Specialist Jim Reilly choreographed the outside work from the shuttle flight deck, shadowed by Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov who will assume that role for the July 20 spacewalk by Clay Anderson and Fyodor Yurchikhin.

By 3:17 p.m., the two had cleared the path on S3 for the Mobile Base System by removing temporary rail stops and hardware that had secured the S3/S4 in the shuttle’s payload bay, thus completing the major tasks slated for the STS-117 mission. The spacewalkers then began some of the get-ahead tasks mission managers had hoped to complete.

The two spacewalkers also installed a computer network cable on the Unity node, opened the hydrogen vent valve on the Destiny laboratory that was installed on Friday’s spacewalk, and tethered two orbital debris shield panels on the station’s service module.

Tomorrow morning at approximately 9:28 a.m., Mission Control in Moscow plans to fire Russian attitude control thrusters. The thrusters have not been used since the Russian central computer and terminal computer went down earlier in the week. Those computers continue in stable operation.

Also tomorrow, astronauts onboard Atlantis will have a much deserved day off, bidding farewell to the Expedition 15 crew and closing the hatch between the two vehicles at 5:23 p.m. Atlantis will undock from the station at 9:42 a.m. CDT Tuesday, circling the orbiting complex once as it departs.

The next STS-117 status report will be issued Monday morning or earlier if events warrant.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #19

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06.18.07
6:30 a.m. CDT Monday, June 18, 2007

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-20

STS-117 MCC Status Report #20

The astronauts on space shuttle Atlantis got up this morning looking ahead to time off duty and awaiting word on when they’ll undock from the International Space Station.

Wakeup sounded at 6:08 a.m. CDT today with the song “Redeemer” by Nicole C. Mullen, played for Mission Specialist Patrick Forrester. The shuttle astronauts are scheduled off duty during the first half of their day, and to complete transfers between Atlantis and the station by late afternoon Houston time. Farewells and hatch closing are scheduled to begin at 5:23 p.m.

This morning the shuttle will maneuver the Atlantis/ISS complex into position for a water and wastewater dump, and after it maneuvers back about 9:15 a.m. it will hand over attitude control to the Russian segment’s terminal computer for a test of its ability to fire Russian thrusters and maintain station attitude. If that test is successful, shuttle and station program managers are expected to confirm the plan for Atlantis to undock from ISS at 9:42 a.m. Tuesday.

Commands sent from the ISS Flight Control Room overnight activated the starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint and tested its rotation; the new joint was put into autotrack test mode at 7 a.m.

Once that test is complete ISS will have four U.S. solar array wings tracking the sun through each orbit of the Earth. Those arrays are capable of generating enough electricity to power the modules already on orbit and the next pressurized modules due to arrive: the second connecting node, Harmony; the European Space Agency laboratory, Columbus; and the Kibo laboratory, from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

The next STS-117 status report will be issued Monday evening or earlier if events warrant.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #20

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06.18.07
6:30 p.m. CDT Monday, June 18, 2007

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-21

STS-117 MCC Status Report #21

Crews aboard the space shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station bid farewell to one another and closed the hatches between their spacecraft at 5:51 p.m. today in preparation for the shuttle’s departure Tuesday morning at 9:42 a.m. The hatch closing wrapped up eight days of docked operations.

A demonstration of the station’s ability to maintain attitude control on its own, a checkout on the new Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) and a smooth translation of the Mobile Transporter gave shuttle and station program managers the confidence needed to approve undocking tomorrow.

At 9:34 this morning, attitude control was handed over from the shuttle to the Russian segment’s terminal computer for a test of its ability to fire Russian thrusters and maintain station attitude. Ninety minutes later, at 11:09 a.m., control was handed back to U.S. computers and the control moment gyroscopes, which completed the demonstration.

The shuttle astronauts had the first part of the day off, before completing transfers between Atlantis and the station. On the station side of the hatches, Atlantis’ crew had left behind more than 19 tons of food, water and equipment. They also filled the shuttle’s middeck with equipment and experiment samples returning to Earth.

The most important transfer item to the shuttle was Astronaut Suni Williams who lived aboard the station for 189 days. Remaining aboard the station was Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson. Williams topped fellow Astronaut Shannon Lucid’s record of 188 days in space.

With the activation of SARJ, the station now has four U.S. solar array wings tracking the sun through each orbit of the Earth.

The next STS-117 status report will be issued Tuesday morning or earlier if events warrant.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #21

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06.19.07
6 a.m. CDT Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-22

STS-117 MCC Status Report #22

The astronauts on space shuttle Atlantis woke up this morning with the hatch to the International Space Station closed and only hours left before undocking for the two-day trip back to Earth.

Today’s wakeup call came at 5:38 a.m. CDT with “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day” by Chicago, played for Pilot Lee Archambault. Expedition 15 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineers Oleg Kotov and Clayton Anderson were awakened on board ISS at the same time.

At 7:45 a.m. Archambault and Mission Specialist Patrick Forrester will begin powering on shuttle systems that have been turned off to conserve power during the docked phase of the flight, and at 8:28 Mission Specialists Steven Swanson and Jim Reilly will set up the centerline camera in the orbiter docking system.

At 9:42 a.m. the hooks and latches holding Atlantis and ISS together will release, and springs in the ODS will push the shuttle away. Archambault will fire shuttle thrusters to move 450 feet in front of the station before starting a full flyaround at 10:07 a.m. to get a good look at the reconfigured spacecraft.

At 11:25 a.m. another firing of Atlantis’ thrusters will begin the final separation of the two spacecraft for this flight. At a range of 46 miles Archambault, Forrester and Swanson will use the shuttle robot arm to lift the Orbiter Boom Sensor System from the starboard payload bay sill and conduct a late inspection of the thermal protection system on both wings and the orbiter’s nose cap.

Today and tomorrow Mission Specialist Suni Williams, in the 192nd day of her spaceflight, will be scheduled for more exercise to help prepare her for Thursday’s scheduled landing at the Kennedy Space Center, when her body will feel the pull of gravity for the first time since her launch last December.

The next STS-117 status report will be issued Tuesday evening or earlier if events warrant.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #22

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06.19.07
6 p.m. CDT Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-23

STS-117 MCC Status Report #23

Space shuttle Atlantis wrapped up an eight-day visit to the International Space Station, undocking at 9:42 a.m. today.

Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Clay Anderson wished his former crewmates Godspeed, as they left him behind on the station. Mission Specialist Suni Williams replaced Anderson aboard the shuttle for the return trip home after six months in space, setting a new record for time spent in space by a female.

They haven’t gone far yet, however. Pilot Lee Archambault took control of Atlantis shortly after undocking and lapped the station at a distance of 600 feet as crewmembers documented the larger, more capable station and their handiwork with video and photos.

During the eight days, 19 hours and six minutes docked to the station, the combined shuttle and station crews helped build the station into a near-symmetrical configuration, adding a new starboard truss segment and solar array pair, while folding another array in preparation for its relocation later this year.

Atlantis’ trip to the station brings the cumulative time spent by all space shuttles at the station to 151 days, four hours and 52 minutes.

After the fly-around, Archambault fired thrusters to separate Atlantis to a safe distance for the night while fellow crewmembers performed additional scans of the wing leading edges and nose cap. The imagery will be evaluated overnight by ground engineers in Houston to ensure Atlantis incurred no micrometeoroid debris damage during its time in space.

The crew is scheduled to go to sleep at 9:08 p.m., and wake up at 5:08 a.m. Wednesday to check out entry systems and pack up equipment ahead of Thursday’s planned landing at the Kennedy Space Center.

The next STS-117 status report will be issued Wednesday morning or earlier if events warrant.

- end -

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #23

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06.20.07
6 a.m. CDT Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-24

STS-117 MCC Status Report #24

Seven astronauts on space shuttle Atlantis are preparing themselves and their orbiter for a planned Thursday landing to wrap up the year’s first International Space Station assembly mission.

The astronauts’ wakeup call came at 5:08 a.m. with “If I Had $1000000” by Barenaked Ladies, played for Mission Specialist Suni Williams, who’s in the 193rd day of her spaceflight.

The entire crew will be involved in routine deorbit preparations by 8:10 a.m., starting by stowing items in the crew cabin.

At 8:58 a.m. Commander Rick Sturckow, Pilot Lee Archambault, and Mission Specialist and Flight Engineer Steven Swanson will power up one of the auxiliary power units and conduct a checkout of the orbiter’s flight control surfaces, and at 10:08 a.m. begin a test firing of each of Atlantis’ reaction control system jets to ensure that both systems are ready for deorbit and landing. All seven crew members gather for a deorbit briefing at 11:28 a.m.

The shuttle astronauts take a break from packing at 2:03 p.m. to talk about the flight in interviews with NBC News, ABC News and CNN Live, then return to packing up for landing. The schedule calls for stowage of the Ku-band communications antenna at 5:58 p.m., just before Mission Specialist Jim Reilly and Williams set up a recumbent seat on the middeck for Williams to use during entry and landing.

The International Space Station’s crew is enjoying a day off duty as they shift their sleep cycle. Expedition 15 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineers Oleg Kotov and Clay Anderson are scheduled to go to sleep at 4:30 p.m. and get up at 1 a.m. tomorrow, returning to the normal station wakeup time.

The next STS-117 status report will be issued Wednesday evening or earlier if events warrant.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #24

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06.20.07
7 p.m. CDT Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

STATUS REPORT: STS-117-25

STS-117 MCC Status Report #25

Space shuttle Atlantis’ astronauts spent – weather permitting – their last full day on orbit today getting their ship ready to return home tomorrow with two landing opportunities available at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center at 12:55 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Commander Rick Sturckow, Pilot Lee Archambault, and Mission Specialist and Flight Engineer Steven Swanson checked out Atlantis’ hydraulic systems and flight control surfaces beginning at 8:58 a.m. today. That was followed closely by the steering jet tests at 10:08 a.m.

All seven astronauts spent the day stowing equipment for the landing, and then came together just after 2 p.m. to discuss their mission with NBC, ABC and CNN. The crew is scheduled to go to sleep at 8:38 p.m. and wake up at 4:38 a.m. Thursday.

The Mission Management Team worked into the early evening to ensure the shuttle is safe for landing. Some fuzz from a gap filler poking out on the outer edge of the left wing was noticed during Tuesday’s late inspection and deemed safe for reentry based on its location and measured protrusion of about 4/10 of an inch. Also, the MMT reviewed additional data presented on the thermal blanket damaged during launch on June 8. The blanket was repaired during the third spacewalk of the mission and cleared for reentry.

Discussions centered around thermal models developed by engineers to assess whether any damage may have occurred to underlying structure, but photographs taken by Danny Olivas – who affected the repair – clearly showed no heat effects.

Entry Flight Director Norm Knight indicated that the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, would be the only landing site considered Thursday, based on consumables that provide flexibility to land as far out as Sunday. The weather forecast shows a chance of rain showers within 30 miles of the runway at landing time with a cloud deck at 5,000 feet – both are landing violations. The plan calls for a deorbit engine firing at 11:50 a.m. for the 12:55 p.m. landing and a 1:25 p.m. deorbit burn for the 2:30 p.m. landing opportunity.

If landing is moved to Friday, two landing opportunities would be available in Florida and two in California at the Edwards Air Force Base. Three sites would be available Saturday in order of preference – Florida, California or at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.

The next STS-117 status report will be issued Thursday morning or earlier if events warrant.

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Source: NASA - STS-117 MCC Status Report #25

Edited by Waspie_Dwarf
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