[sarex] Atlantis Docks With Space Station; Spacewalk Set for Monday

[Arthur Rowe]

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

*Atlantis Docks With Space Station; Spacewalk Set for Monday*

Space Shuttle AtlantisImage above: Space Shuttle Atlantis is pictured 
moments after docking to the
International Space Station's Destiny laboratory. Image credit: NASA TV
TO VIEW IMAGE GO 
TO:http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html


+ View Launch Day Photo Gallery 
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts117/multimedia/launch/launch.html>
+ View Launch Day Video Gallery 
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts117/launch/launch_allvideos.html> 


After a busy Sunday in which the STS-117 crew arrived at the 
International Space Station, attention has turned to the mission’s first 
spacewalk. The excursion, which will focus on the on-orbit assembly of 
the station, is slated to begin at 1753 UTC. Monday.

Space Shuttle Atlantis and the STS-117 crew arrived at the station 
Sunday at 1936 UTC, delivering a new truss segment and crew member to 
the orbital outpost. The STS-117 crew entered the station for the first 
time after the hatches between the shuttle and station opened at 2104 UTC..

The STS-117 astronauts quickly jumped into joint operations with the 
station’s Expedition 15 crew. One of the first major tasks was the 
station crew rotation. STS-117 Mission Specialist Clayton Anderson 
switched places with Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Suni Williams, who 
wrapped up a six-month tour of duty as a station crew member.

The crews also began preparations for Monday’s installation of the 
Starboard 3 and 4 (S3/S4) truss segment and the spacewalk. The crews 
used the shuttle robotic arm to lift the S3/S4 out of Atlantis’ payload 
bay and to hand it off to the station arm.

The S3/S4, which contains a new set of solar arrays, is scheduled to be 
attached to the station prior to the start of the spacewalk conducted by 
STS-117 Mission Specialists John “Danny” Olivas and Jim Reilly. Olivas 
and Reilly are spending the night in the station’s Quest Airlock in 
preparation for the spacewalk.

*STS-117 Mission*
+ The Crew 
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts117/index.html> 

+ The Mission 
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts117/mission_overview.html> 

+ The Integrated Truss Structure 
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/its.html>