[sarex] STS-115 MCC Status Report #22

[Arthur Rowe]

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468


2 a.m. CDT Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2006
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

09.20.06
STATUS REPORT: STS-115-22

STS-115 MCC Status Report #22

The Space Shuttle Atlantis crew began another survey of the spacecraft's 
heat shield late Tuesday after mission managers decided the orbiter 
would spend another day in space. That decision was made after cameras 
detected a piece of debris near the shuttle early Tuesday.

The survey is to make sure Atlantis is ready for re-entry and its 
landing at the Kennedy Space Center. Florida weather also was 
questionable for a Wednesday landing.

The crew woke up at 8:45 p.m. CDT Tuesday to “Beautiful Day” by U2, 
played for Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper. After some routine personal time, 
they began the survey at about 11:30 p.m. Pilot Chris Ferguson and 
Mission Specialists Dan Burbank and Steve MacLean are using the 
shuttle's robotic arm and its cameras to get a full look at Atlantis' 
thermal protection system. The task could take up to five hours.

Specialists on the ground will review the imagery as it is available and 
determine if a more detailed survey using the 50-foot orbiter boom 
sensor system (OBSS) is warranted. The OBSS survey, if needed, would 
take another three hours.

Atlantis Commander Brent Jett and Mission Specialists Joe Tanner and 
Piper will help as needed with the survey and continue with other tasks 
including waste and water dump, exercise, downlink of imagery and 
stowage of the Payload General Support Computer.

Atlantis' next landing opportunity is Thursday with a deorbit engine 
firing at 4:14 a.m. CDT and touchdown at 5:22 a.m. Atlantis has enough 
supplies to stay in orbit until Saturday.

Early Wednesday International Space Station Expedition 14 Commander 
Michael Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin, and 
spaceflight participant Anousheh Ansari arrived at the orbiting 
laboratory. Their Soyuz docked at 12:21 a.m. The hatch opening and 
welcoming ceremony with the Expedition 13 crew, Commander Pavel 
Vinogradov and Flight Engineers Jeff Williams and Thomas Reiter, is 
scheduled for 3:30 a.m.

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