[sarex] STS-115 MCC Status Report #10

[Arthur Rowe]

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

NASA NEWS

3 a.m. CDT, Thursday, Sept. 14
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

	09.14.06
STATUS REPORT: STS-115-10

STS-115 MCC Status Report #10

With several busy days including two successful spacewalks behind them, 
the Atlantis and International Space Station crews were looking forward 
to deployment of new station solar arrays and preparing for the 
mission's third spacewalk.

The ground teams completed the checkout of the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint 
(SARJ) early Thursday. The task had been interrupted Wednesday by a 
software glitch. Engineering teams developed a workaround, and flight 
controllers are working toward deployment of the 240-feet solar wings 
brought up with the P3/P4 truss.

The issue did cause replanning of the crews' schedule. As a result, crew 
activities today are subject to change.

Atlantis crewmembers were awakened at 11:15 p.m. CDT Wednesday by "Wipe 
Out," performed by the Surfaris. It was played for Pilot Chris Ferguson.

Thursday's agenda for Atlantis crewmembers, Commander Brent Jett, Pilot 
Ferguson and Mission Specialists Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, Joe 
Tanner, Dan Burbank and Steve MacLean, include executing a "double walk 
off” of the station's Canadarm 2 from the Mobile Base System to the 
Destiny Lab.

MacLean is scheduled to talk with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper 
at 10:25 a.m. Also, Jett, station Expedition 13 Commander Pavel 
Vinogradov and E13 European Space Agency Astronaut Thomas Reiter were 
scheduled to talk with National Public Radio and CNN at 10:50 a.m.

While Ferguson does shuttle operations tasks, the rest of the crews, 
including station NASA Science Officer Jeff Williams, will review 
procedures for Friday's spacewalk, the third and final planned excursion 
outside during the STS-115 mission. Tanner and Piper will work on 
station truss segments to release the photovoltaic radiator restraints, 
deploy SARJ braces and install an external wireless TV transmission 
antenna.

The next STS-115 mission status report will be issued Thursday 
afternoon, or earlier if events warrant.