[sarex] STS-115 STATUS 11 SEPT 2006

[Arthur Rowe]

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468


	*Astronauts Prepare for Spacewalk With Campout*



STS-115 Mission Specialists Joe Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper 
are on a “campout” in the International Space Station’s Quest Airlock. 
They are spending the night in the airlock in preparation for their 
first spacewalk, which takes place after the P3/P4 integrated truss is 
attached to the station on Tuesday.

The 45-foot-long truss structure, which contains a set of solar arrays, 
is slated to be attached to the P1 truss at 4 a.m. EDT. The spacewalkers 
will begin their excursion at 5:15 a.m.( 0915 UTC) to prepare the truss 
for solar array deployment.

“Camping out” helps the spacewalkers begin the spacewalk earlier by 
reducing the amount of time typically required for the pre-breathe 
exercise and some spacewalk preparations.

The STS-115 crew is slated to enter its sleep period at 4:15 p.m. and 
wake up at 12:15 a.m. Tuesday.

Atlantis and the STS-115 crew arrived at the station at 6:48 a.m. The 
STS-115 and the station’s Expedition 13 crews quickly went to work 
shortly after the hatches opened at 8:30 a.m. The crews used the shuttle 
robotic arm to hand off the P3/P4 to the station arm at 10:52 a.m. The 
crew also began transferring cargo between the vehicles.

*STS-115 Mission*
+ Read about the crew 
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts115/index.html>
+ Read about the mission 
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts115/mission_overview.html>
+ Read about the P3/P4 Truss 
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/behindscenes/truss_segment.html>