[sarex] Crews to Fold Arrays,

[Arthur Rowe]

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468


	*Crews to Fold Arrays, Prep for Spacewalk Repair Tasks*

STS-117 spacewalkImage above: Spacewalker Steve Swanson helps with the 
retraction of a solar array during the mission's second spacewalk. Image 
credit: NASA TV

TO VIEW IMAGE GO TO:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

As Space Shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station sail above 
Earth today, the STS-117 and Expedition 15 crews will continue 
retracting solar arrays and preparing for repair work during Friday’s 
spacewalk.

STS-117 Mission Specialists Jim Reilly and Danny Olivas will review 
procedures and practice techniques they will use during the spacewalk 
set to begin at 1:38 p.m. EDT Friday. The first task of the 
extravehicular activity is the repair of a thermal blanket that pulled 
away from the orbital maneuvering system pod on the rear of the shuttle.

This afternoon, the STS-117 crew will resume retraction of the starboard 
P6 solar array. Almost half of the 31½ array bays were retracted 
Wednesday. If the arrays are not fully retracted today, efforts will 
resume Friday with the assistance of the spacewalkers.

About an hour and 20 minutes before this morning’s scheduled wakeup 
call, the crews were awakened by a false alarm on the station. The alarm 
was triggered by the restart of Russian navigation 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 system providing backup.

*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>