[Space] NASA - STS-115 - ISS 12A (Atlantis)

[GioFX]

1324 GMT (9:24 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis has reaching a point directly above the space station.

The flyaround started with the shuttle in front of the station. It takes Atlantis to a point directly above the complex, then behind it, looping below and back out in front. After climbing above the station for a second time, the final separation engine firing will be performed. This burn will send Atlantis away from the vicinity of the station.

[GioFX]

1337 GMT (9:37 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis has reached a point directly behind the station in terms of the direction of travel of the two spacecraft around the Earth, which is known as the -V bar.

[GioFX]

1347 GMT (9:47 a.m. EDT)

The shuttle is beneath the station now, as its cameras look up the complex with a backdrop of black space.

[GioFX]

1400 GMT (10:00 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is back out in front of the station to complete a full loop around the complex. Once at a point above the complex, the separation engine firing will be performed.

[GioFX]

1420 GMT (10:20 a.m. EDT)

The shuttle is quickly departing the vicinity of the space station. The ship will stationkeep about 70 miles behind the outpost in case a re-rendezvous is needed.

The shuttle crew will be performing another series of heat shield inspections tomorrow, then packing up the cabin and testing flight controls Tuesday. The deorbit burn to begin reentry is scheduled for 4:56 a.m. EDT Wednesday, with a predawn touchdown on Kennedy Space Center's three-mile concrete runway at 5:58 a.m. EDT to conclude STS-115.

[GioFX]

Da SpaceFlightNow.com:

Atlantis departs the space station

BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: September 17, 2006

The shuttle Atlantis undocked from the international space station today, closing out a successful visit to attach a new set of solar arrays and clearing the way for launch of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft early Monday carrying the lab's next commander, a fresh flight engineer and a space tourist.

Atlantis' docking system was disengaged on time at 8:50 a.m. and powerful springs pushed the shuttle, tail toward Earth and cargo bay facing the station, straight away as the two spacecraft sailed 220 miles above the Pacific Ocean southeast of Australia.

Shuttle pilot Chris Ferguson piloted Atlantis through a slow, looping fly around of the international space station after undocking, beaming back spectacular video of the orbital lab complex with its new solar arrays gleaming against the blue-and-white backdrop of planet Earth.

It was the first 360-degree shuttle-station fly around of the post-Columbia era and the first since 2002 to show the station with a significant new addition: the P3/P4 solar array truss carried aloft and installed by Atlantis' crew.

Streaking through space at 5 miles per second 220 miles above the heartland of America, the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway, the new array gave the outpost a distinctly asymmetrical look, positioned at right angles to its other major set of solar panels, the P6 array.

P6 provided power for the early stages of station assembly in a temporary position atop a truss on the Unity module. Next year, if all goes well, it will be moved to its permanent position adjacent to the P4 arrays on the left end of the station's main power truss.

"Hey Jeff, we completed the fly-around," shuttle commander Brent Jett called as the shuttle began moving away. "I just wanted to let you know we got a lot of great pictures, it was really a spectacular sight to see your vehicle from above, looking down on the Earth. So hopefully, we'll get to send some of those to you over the next couple of days and we'll see you back on Earth in a little while."

"Yeah, we'll look forward to seeing those," station flight engineer Jeff Williams replied from the lab complex. "I think we got some pretty good pictures and video of you guys in the fly around as well, especially underneath with the Earth in the background. So those pictures will be on the ground when you get there, waiting for you. It was a great mission, thanks for all the good work, enjoyed the time together and look forward to seeing you back in Houston."

"Yeah, we really appreciate it," Jett replied, "it was fun working with you guys. Be safe the rest of your mission."

"You bet. So long now."

[Marilson]

gli astronauti della ISS hanno dovuto indossare le loro tute pressurizzate oggi a causa di un allarme per uno strano odore percepito a bordo, si pensa ad un liquido non ben definito evaporato.. boh

[GioFX]

Originariamente inviato da Marilson

gli astronauti della ISS hanno dovuto indossare le loro tute pressurizzate oggi a causa di un allarme per uno strano odore percepito a bordo, si pensa ad un liquido non ben definito evaporato.. boh

Thread sulla ISS:

http://www.hwupgrade.it/forum/showth...1#post13876776

[GioFX]

Da SpaceFlightNow.com:

Final shuttle heat shield inspections performed

BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: September 18, 2006

The Atlantis astronauts carried out a final inspection of the shuttle's heat shield today, using a laser on the end of a long boom to look for signs of damage on the ship's nose cap and wing leading edge panels.


The shuttle's robotm arm lifts inspection boom out of the payload bay early today. Credit: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now

An identical inspection was carried out Sept. 10, the day after launch, to make sure the most critical parts of the heat shield came through the climb to space in good condition. Today's inspection was designed to make sure no space debris or micrometeoroids hit the shuttle unnoticed while docked with the international space station.

"The first one is obviously geared towards any debris which came off during ascent and may have hit the orbiter," commander Brent Jett said in a NASA interview. "There's a second threat to your thermal protection system, and that is from micrometeorite damage. It's a threat we deal with on every mission."

Heat shield inspections are carried out using a 50-foot-long boom attached to the end of the shuttle's 50-foot-long robot arm. A laser scanner and a high-resolution camera are mounted on the end of the orbiter boom sensor system to look for signs of damage to the reinforced carbon carbon material making up the shuttle's nose cap and wing leading edge panels. Those areas experience the most extreme heating during re-entry, some 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

"There's an analysis done that gives you the probability of being struck by a micrometeorite," Jett said. "It all depends on what attitude you're flying and what orbit you're flying in. The thought is that if you inspect early in the mission for ascent debris, you might want to inspect late in the mission to see if you've sustained any damage from a micrometeorite hit on the RCC, a critical area of the orbiter."

Along with carrying out the heat shield inspection, Jett and his crewmates - pilot Chris Ferguson, flight engineer Dan Burbank, Joe Tanner, Canadian Steve MacLean and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper - also plan to begin initial packing for re-entry and landing Wednesday. Cabin stow will begin in earnest Tuesday, when the astronauts also will test the shuttle's re-entry systems.

Here is an updated timeline of today's activity (in EDT and mission elapsed time):


TIME/EDT DD HH MM EVENT

02:20 AM 08 15 05 Orbiter boom sensor system (OBSS) unberth
03:25 AM 08 16 10 OBSS starboard wing leading edge survey
04:15 AM 08 17 00 Cabin stow begins
04:55 AM 08 17 40 OBSS nose cap survey
06:25 AM 08 19 10 Crew meal
07:25 AM 08 20 10 OBSS port wing leading edge survey
08:00 AM 08 20 45 Mission status briefing on NASA TV
08:55 AM 08 21 40 OBSS berthing
09:30 AM 08 22 15 Robot arm berthing and powerdown
10:15 AM 08 23 00 Laser dynamic range imager downlink
01:20 PM 09 02 05 NC-7 rocket firing
02:15 PM 09 03 00 Crew sleep begins
03:00 PM 09 03 45 Daily video highlights reel on NASA TV
08:28 PM 09 09 13 Progress cargo ship undocks from ISS
10:15 PM 09 11 00 Crew wakeup

Atlantis undocked from the space station early Sunday to make way for arrival of the lab's next commander and flight engineer, Mike Lopez-Alegria and cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin. The Expedition 14 crew members, along with space tourist Anousheh Ansari, blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 12:09 a.m. EDT today aboard the Soyuz TMA-9 spacecraft.

If all goes well, they will dock with the station at 1:24 a.m. Wednesday, just a few hours before Atlantis is scheduled to land at the Kennedy Space Center.

Ansari will return to Earth on Sept. 28 with the station's outgoing crew, Expedition 13 commander Pavel Vinogradov and flight engineer Jeff Williams. European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter, ferried to the station aboard the shuttle Discovery in July, will remain aboard the outpost as part of the Expedition 14 crew until December, when he will return to Earth with the crew of the next shuttle assembly mission.

[GioFX]

Da SpaceFlightNow.com:

Shuttle, station, Soyuz crews enjoy orbital chat

BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: September 19, 2006


Credit: NASA

The 12 men and women currently off the planet got a chance to chat this morning, thanks to a long-distance conference call connecting the space shuttle Atlantis, the international space station and a Russian Soyuz capsule carrying a space tourist and the station's next crew.

The call took place just after 3 a.m., as the Soyuz TMA-9 spacecraft, carrying Expedition 14 commander Mike Lopez-Alegria, Mikhail "Misha" Tyurin and space tourist Anousheh Ansari sailed across Russia while the shuttle and space station, separated by about 98 miles, were passing 220 miles above Australia.

"Good to hear your voice, Misha," station flight engineer Jeff Williams called. "And good morning Mike and Anousheh. It's a little crowded in the sky this morning with not only Atlantis and you all and us, but also the Progress free flier."

Late Monday, Russian flight controllers sent commands to the space station to undock a Progress supply ship, loaded with trash and no-longer-needed equipment. It burned up in the atmosphere as planned a few hours later, clearing the way for arrival of the Soyuz Wednesday.

"We were wondering if we had to hire some more air traffic controllers for the increased traffic up here," joked Lopez-Alegria.

"We'll just have to keep eyeballs out a little more than usual," Williams replied. "How's your flight been going, Mike?"

"Everything has been (Russian phrase)," Lopez-Alegria said. The Soyuz blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan early Sunday and if all goes well, Tyurin will guide it to a docking with the space station at 1:24 a.m. Wednesday.

"Hello Misha, Mike and Anousheh," called station flight engineer Thomas Reiter. "Good to hear your voices!"

"Hello everyone," said Ansari, who is believed to have paid in the neighborhood of $20 million for the trip. "I look forward to seeing you on the station."

"In just a few hours, you will be here," Reiter said.

"Yes," she said.

"Yeah, we look forward to welcoming you all on board," Williams said. "Atlantis, do you want to step in here and say hello?"

"Yeah, 14, how do you hear Atlantis?" shuttle commander Brent Jett called.

"Brent, we have you loud and clear. How us?" asked Lopez-Alegria.

"Loud and clear also, LA," Jett said. "Joe (Tanner) just mentioned three hogs in space and I think you have a tactical advantage right now in terms of fighter position."

Jett was referring to an astronaut class mascot and the fact that the Soyuz was trailing the space station and Atlantis by about 6,550 miles, catching up to the lab complex in a lower, faster orbit.

"Well, you guys are probably sorry to be heading home," Lopez-Alegria said, "but it'll be nice to have a cold beer and a shower."

"It's been real short for us, you know," Jett said. "It's kind of funny, you guys are just starting a really long journey in space and our very short one is quickly coming to an end, sooner than we would like."

After a short communications drop out, Lopez-Alegria asked Jett about landing preparations.

"Yeah, entry day, our first opportunity's tomorrow, the weather's not looking all that good for tomorrow at KSC (Kennedy Space Center) but it's supposed to be real good the next day. So we may end up getting an extra day on orbit, which would not be all bad."

"Just make sure you save some good food," Lopez-Alegria joked.

"Actually, they gave all the food to us to save for you," Williams chimed in.

"They cleaned us out pretty good, looking out for you guys," Jett confirmed.

"Misha says as long as there's (unintelligible) he'll be happy."

"I think you guys will be happy with the supplies on board, we're well supplied with two shuttle visits and a Progress," Williams said.

"Hey Mike, before you go, Jeff and Pavel and Thomas, they've taken great care of station, it's really in great shape," Jett said. "We were really impressed, they've done a fantastic job. This mission would not have been a success without them. They were an integral part of it. So you're going to be impressed when you get there and I know you guys are going to have a good time."

"We know we have a lot to learn from all of them and we look forward to our time together, especially having Anousheh on board," said Lopez-Alegria. "It's too bad that the Atlantis crew won't get to meet her, maybe at some opportunity on the ground in the future. But I think she should have a great short stay aboard and we look forward (to seeing the rest of you)."

"And we look forward to getting you guys on board," Williams replied. "We're going to get up bright and early, or dark and early, however you want to say it, tomorrow morning and bring out the welcome mat."

By docking time, the Soyuz crew should have its space legs. Tyurin told Russian flight controllers late Monday that Lopez-Alegria and Ansari were experiencing at least some of the symptoms of space adaptation syndrome, which affects about half the men and women who fly in weightlessness.

As the conference call was breaking up, a Russian controller called the Soyuz to say a flight surgeon was standing by to chat with Ansari. But she sounded in good spirits when she hailed the space station.

[GioFX]

Da SpaceFlightNow.com:

Mystery object delays landing a day

BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: September 19, 2006

NASA managers today ordered the Atlantis astronauts to stop their landing preparations and to delay re-entry 24 hours to Thursday to give flight controllers additional time to assess the implications of an unusual object spotted earlier today flying below the shuttle.

The origin of the object is unknown, but NASA managers want to make sure whatever it is did not come from any critical systems on Atlantis, including its heat shield tiles and wing leading edge panels.

"The MMT just met and they decided, based on this weather they've been having down in Florida in combination with this object we saw, we're going to wave off tomorrow," Terry Virts radioed from mission control just before noon. "Our FAO, our timeliners aer working very hard right now to come up with a plan for tomorrow and we'll certainly get you any words we have on that as soon as we can."

"Of course, our big interest is whether or note we're going to be doing any robotics tomorrow," commander Brent Jett replied.

"That is a possibility. We've got the flight controllers on console now and ... that's our question, too."

The astronauts may be asked to unlimber Atlantis' robot arm Wednesday, pick up the ship's heat shield inspection boom and carry out an unplanned inspection of the shuttle and its heat shield. Earlier inspections showed no signs of any problems.

Given a fairly bleak weather forecast for landing time Wednesday, NASA's Mission Management Team made the decision to delay a day with little debate, a source said. The forecast for Thursday and Friday calls for good weather at the Kennedy Space Center.

A news conference with shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale is scheduled for 12 p.m.

[GioFX]

Da SpaceFlightNow.com:

Mystery object delays landing a day

BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: September 19, 2006

NASA managers today ordered the Atlantis astronauts to stop their landing preparations and to delay re-entry 24 hours to Thursday to give flight controllers additional time to assess the implications of an unusual object spotted earlier today flying below the shuttle.

The origin of the object is unknown, but NASA managers want to make sure whatever it is did not come from any critical systems on Atlantis, including its heat shield tiles and wing leading edge panels.

"The MMT just met and they decided, based on this weather they've been having down in Florida in combination with this object we saw, we're going to wave off tomorrow," Terry Virts radioed from mission control just before noon. "Our FAO, our timeliners aer working very hard right now to come up with a plan for tomorrow and we'll certainly get you any words we have on that as soon as we can."

"Of course, our big interest is whether or note we're going to be doing any robotics tomorrow," commander Brent Jett replied.

"That is a possibility. We've got the flight controllers on console now and ... that's our question, too."

The astronauts may be asked to unlimber Atlantis' robot arm Wednesday, pick up the ship's heat shield inspection boom and carry out an unplanned inspection of the shuttle and its heat shield. Earlier inspections showed no signs of any problems.

Given a fairly bleak weather forecast for landing time Wednesday, NASA's Mission Management Team made the decision to delay a day with little debate, a source said. The forecast for Thursday and Friday calls for good weather at the Kennedy Space Center.

A news conference with shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale is scheduled for 12 p.m.

[GioFX]

1745 GMT (1:45 p.m. EDT)

NASA managers today ordered the Atlantis astronauts to stop their landing preparations and to delay re-entry 24 hours to Thursday to give flight controllers additional time to assess the implications of an unusual object spotted earlier today flying below the shuttle.

The object may have shaken off the shuttle earlier today, possibly due to vibrations associated with routine pre-landing tests of the shuttle's hydraulic system and maneuvering jets. The concern is the possibility of damage to the shuttle's heat shield or some other critical component that could cause problems during re-entry.

In what could be a coincidence, engineers monitoring data from sensors mounted behind the ship's carbon composite wing leading edge panels recorded eight "events" over a two-minute period earlier today. It's not yet clear whether the data indicates an actual impact event, vibrations associated with the entry tests or some other phenomenon. While the timing was coincidental, an impact event would not be expected to trigger multiple signatures. But engineers do not yet have an explanation.

[GioFX]

2300 GMT (7:00 p.m. EDT)

The management team meeting is over. The briefing to announce what officials have decided will begin in a few minutes.


2227 GMT (6:27 p.m. EDT)

Briefing time now no earlier than 7 p.m. EDT.


2200 GMT (6:00 p.m. EDT)

Mission managers continue to meet. A news conference will follow the meeting, now expected no sooner than 6:30 p.m. EDT.


1835 GMT (2:35 p.m. EDT)

The Atlantis astronauts have gone to bed. They are scheduled to be awakened at 9:45 p.m. EDT for the start of flight day 12. Before going to sleep, the crew reactivated the shuttle's robot arm and positioned it above the payload bay to examine the upper surfaces of Atlantis and allow flight controllers to remotely operate the crane's cameras this afternoon and evening.

[GioFX]

2322 GMT (7:22 p.m. EDT)

The crew of space shuttle Atlantis will inspect their spaceship overnight to determine whether the mystery object seen early Tuesday is a piece of the heat shield.

Engineers do not have enough information from the video of the object downlinked from the shuttle to identify it or characterize its size.

A leading theory is the plastic shim used in the hangar to install tiles on the shuttle's belly but accidently not removed before flight. The item was seen dangling off the vehicle during inspections earlier in the mission.

Shuttle program manager Wayne Hale says thermal sensors throughout the vehicle have not registered any differences in temperatures before and after the object was seen.

The second object seen Tuesday, which the crew spotted out the window, has been identifed likely as a simple plastic bag that floated out of the payload bay.

The game plan calls for the astronauts to be awakened at 9:45 p.m. EDT. They will begin a five-hour survey of the shuttle using cameras on the robot arm beginning at 11:45 p.m. EDT. If those observations are insufficient, the Orbiter Boom Sensor System would be pulled out of the payload bay at 5:45 a.m. for the start of additional inspections. The crew would go to bed at 1:45 p.m.

Landing remains targeted for Thursday, pending the outcome of the inspections.

[bojack]

Sentito poco fà al tg che hanno rinviato il rientro ancora per colpa di quel rivestimento. Si prevede un'uscita dalla navetta per appurare la situazione ma sul sito nasa.gov non viene menzionato nulla.

[Octane]

Initial survey ends; more inspections ordered
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: September 20, 2006

An impromptu robot arm inspection of the shuttle Atlantis early today revealed no obvious problems with the ship's critical heat shield, but mission managers ordered additional inspections with a long sensor boom to make absolutely sure.

The initial inspection, using a camera on the end of the shuttle's robot arm to look for signs of damage that might be associated with an unusual object that apparently floated away from the shuttle Tuesday, took four-and-a-half hours to complete.

While the astronauts took a lunch break, NASA managers assessed downlinked video and ultimately decided to press ahead with a second round of inspections, this one using a 50-foot-long sensor boom attached to the end of the arm. The boom is a post-Columbia upgrade designed to provide close-up laser scans and high-resolution photography of the shuttle's nose cap and wing leading edge panels to look for signs of post-launch impact damage.

For today's survey, the boom will be used to inspect areas that can't be seen well with the robot arm, which is mounted on the left side of the shuttle's cargo bay, starting with the right wing's leading edge panels, the right side of the shuttle's nose cap, the left side of the nose, then the underside of large steering elevons at the back of both wings. New hardware was installed in the elevon areas before launch and engineers want to make sure those systems are sound. The boom also will be used to inspect both sides of the rudder/speedbrake on the shuttle's tail fin.

Time needed to unberth the orbiter boom sensor system, or OBSS, carry out the additional inspections and re-berth the boom will add about three hours to the overall inspection procedure. NASA managers said Tuesday an OBSS inspection could extend the crew's day and push landing to Friday. But as of this writing, no final decisions have been made on when Atlantis will be cleared for entry.

Engineers still don't know what might have floated away from Atlantis Tuesday, prompting an initial 24-hour landing delay from Wednesday to Thursday. The first object in question was seen flying below the shuttle shortly after pre-landing tests of the shuttle's re-entry systems.

Engineers speculated that whatever it was, the object got shaken off during the tests, which generated a fair amount of vibration. One possible candidate was a plastic shim spotted earlier in the flight extending up from between two tiles on the shuttle's belly. But during today's inspection, the shim apparently was still in place, engineers said.

A second piece of debris spotted by the astronauts shortly after noon Tuesday remains a mystery as well.

Assuming the OBSS inspection goes smoothly, no problems are found and the crew gets done in time, NASA managers could opt to press ahead with plans to bring Atlantis back to Earth on Thursday. In that case, commander Brent Jett and pilot Chris Ferguson would fire Atlantis' twin braking rockets around 5:19 a.m. Thursday for a day-late touchdown around 6:21 a.m. at the Kennedy Space Center.

But if today's OBSS inspection keeps the crew up late, NASA managers may opt to "give them another day on orbit to rest up before the critical entry phase" to make sure "we have a well rested and prepare crew to fly the critical phases of entry," said shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale. "We don't want to do that with folks who are tired or overly concerned about anything."

Atlantis has enough on-board supplies to remain in orbit until Saturday if absolutely necessary. Good weather is expected Thursday and Friday at the Kennedy Space Center.

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttl...ns/index2.html

[GioFX]

Ok per l'atterraggio domani:

Da SpaceFlightNow.com:

Space shuttle Atlantis cleared for Thursday landing

BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: September 20, 2006

The Atlantis astronauts were cleared today for a day-late landing Thursday at the Kennedy Space Center after a tedious robot-arm inspection showed the ship's heat shield was in good shape.

"We are cleared for entry," shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale told reporters during a noon news conference. "Nothing was found to be missing or damaged from the thermal protection system, the heat shield of the space shuttle Atlantis, or, in fact, any other part of the shuttle Atlantis.

"So we feel very confident that we're heading for a good landing opportunity tomorrow morning. The weather forecast is excellent, whereas today is not, in Florida, a good day to land so we spent our day profitably making sure everything is ready to come home."

The unusual inspection was ordered and the flight extended one day after an unknown object, presumably from Atlantis, was spotted early Tuesday flying just below the shuttle. A second bit of debris was seen later, along with several smaller objects.

More of the same was spotted today, but the inspection using cameras on the shuttle's robot arm and a 50-foot-long sensor boom showed the heat shield was in good shape. Whatever the debris might have been, Hale said, it did not come from any place critical for a safe re-entry.

"All those items came from the space shuttle, they didn't come from some other place," Hale said. "We're too far from the station now, we're not orbiting in the same orbit exactly with it or the Soyuz or the Progress (supply ship), so the things we have seen that are drifting away at a very low speed, or co-orbital, with the shuttle came from the shuttle.

"As for exactly where they came from, we'll continue to look at that. I expect that we will probably wind up still scratching our heads after we get on the ground where some of this came from. We have been looking at it for quite a long time and all the obvious things, we fixed. So it just appears to be an artifact of human occupancy that we leave detritus around. We're going to continue work on that."

The inspection showed a protruding tile spacer called a "gap filler" and a plastic shim, both seen earlier in the mission sticking up from between adjacent tiles on two external tank propellant feedline doors in the belly of the shuttle, had worked their way free and were no longer visible.

Engineers speculated Tuesday that the plastic shim might have shaken loose during hydraulic system tests early Tuesday and floated away, becoming the first of the two mystery objects spotted by the crew and flight controllers. Hale said that remains a possibility.

"This is most likely the culprit," he said, holding up a plastic shim similar to those used on the shuttle. "It's not a guarantee and I don't know that we'll ever be able to positively prove it. It was there before, it's not there now, it was most likely shaken loose during the flight control system checkout. We probably will never know for sure."

As for the smaller bits of debris spotted near Atlantis, lead flight director Paul Dye said it was not unusual for small items inadvertently left in the shuttle's cargo bay during maintenance to work free and float away during a mission. While such "foreign object debris," or FOD, is typically seen early in flight, it was not surprising that Atlantis, making its first flight since 2002, might be carrying a bit more debris than usual, engineers said.

Here is an updated entry timeline for the crew's two opportunities to land in Florida Thursday (in EDT):


DATE/EDT REV 186 DEORBIT TO KSC

01:14:23 AM Begin deorbit timeline
01:29:23 AM Radiator stow(MS) seat installation
01:45:23 AM Computers set for deorbit prep
01:49:23 AM Hydraulic system configuration
02:14:23 AM Flash evaporator cooling system checkout
02:20:23 AM Final payload deactivation
02:34:23 AM Payload bay doors closed
02:44:23 AM Mission control 'go' for OPS-3 entry software load
02:54:23 AM OPS-3 transition
03:19:23 AM Entry switchlist verification
03:29:23 AM Deorbit data update
03:34:23 AM Crew entry review
03:49:23 AM CDR/PLT don entry suits
04:06:23 AM Navigation system alignment
04:14:23 AM CDR/PLT strap in; MS suit don
04:31:23 AM Shuttle steering check
04:34:23 AM Hydraulic power unit (APU) prestart
04:41:23 AM Toilet deactivation
04:49:23 AM Vent doors closed for entry
04:54:23 AM Mission control 'go' for deorbit burn
05:00:23 AM MS seat ingress
05:09:23 AM Single APU start

05:14:23 AM Deorbit ignition (dT: 2:44; dV: 207 mph)
05:17:06 AM Deorbit burn complete

05:49:47 AM Shuttle falls into discernible atmosphere (400k feet)
05:54:17 AM STS-107: EI+4:30 - 1st unusual data
05:54:41 AM 1st roll command to left
06:00:02 AM STS-107: EI+10:15 - 1st MCC mention
06:04:34 AM STS-107: EI+14:47 - Tire alarm
06:05:43 AM STS-107: EI+15:56 - Last valid data
06:03:58 AM 1st left-to-right roll reversal
06:14:53 AM Velocity less than mach 2.5
06:17:04 AM Velocity less than mach 1
06:17:32 AM Shuttle on the HAC
06:21:28 PM Landing

DATE/EDT REV 187 DEORBIT TO KSC

06:30:51 AM MCC 'go' for deorbit burn
06:36:51 AM MS seat ingress
06:45:51 AM Single APU start

06:50:51 AM Deorbit ignition (dT: 2:44; dV: 208 mph)
06:53:35 AM Deorbit burn complete

07:25:21 AM Entry interface
07:29:51 AM STS-107: EI+4:30 - 1st unusual data
07:30:12 AM 1st roll command to left
07:35:36 AM STS-107: EI+10:15 - 1st MCC mention
07:43:46 AM 1st left-to-right roll reversal
07:40:08 AM STS-107: EI+14:47 - Tire alarm
07:41:17 AM STS-107: EI+15:56 - Last valid data
07:50:24 AM Velocity less than mach 2.5
07:52:35 AM Velocity less than mach 1
07:53:23 AM Shuttle on the HAC
07:56:57 AM Landing

Here are the remaining landing opportunities at Kennedy, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and Northrup Strip at White Sands, NM (all in EDT):


DATE ORBIT BURN LANDING SITE

09/22 201 04:02 AM 05:10 AM KSC
09/22 202 05:37 AM 06:45 AM KSC
09/22 203 07:07 AM 08:15 AM EDW
09/22 203 07:09 AM 08:16 AM NOR
09/22 204 08:43 AM 09:50 AM EDW
09/22 204 08:45 AM 09:52 AM NOR
09/22 205 10:19 AM 11:26 AM EDW

09/23 217 04:24 AM 05:32 AM KSC
09/23 218 05:56 AM 07:03 AM NOR
09/23 218 06:00 AM 07:08 AM KSC
09/23 219 07:30 AM 08:37 AM EDW
09/23 219 07:32 AM 08:39 AM NOR
09/23 220 09:06 AM 10:13 AM EDW

"At the end of this exciting mission, I just have to remind everybody that we are back in the (space station) assembly business," Hale said. "I couldn't be prouder of the team. This is one of the most complex missions that's ever been flown in space. ... It has been an outstanding effort."

"We're set up in a very good way for the next set of assembly flights. There are about six in a row here that we really need to pull off in fairly rapid order without major problems in order to keep the assembly going."

Next up is launch of the shuttle Discovery in December on a mission to rewire the space station's electrical system, to ferry a fresh flight engineer to the outpost - Sunita Williams - and to bring European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter back to Earth.

The current launch target is Dec. 14, but Hale said launch managers at the Kennedy Space Center are looking into the possibility of moving the flight up one week to avoid having a mission in progress over Christmas.

"We have asked the team to evaluate the potential of working a little bit extra hard, getting perhaps a week ahead, looking at a Dec. 7 potential launch date and thereby letting our folks have the Christmas holidays off," Hale said. "If that's not an incentive, I don't know what is."

Looking ahead to a series of critical flights in 2007 to build out the station's solar array truss, Hale said "if we are able to pull them off with even half the success that we saw on this flight, we will have a great year in 2007 and I think we will be well down the road to getting the space station assembled on time."

[GioFX]

1022 GMT (6:22 a.m. EDT)

WHEEL STOP. Atlantis is home!

1021 GMT (6:21 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is rolling down Runway 33 to complete its 12-day mission that restarted orbital construction of the International Space Station by delivering a power-generating module and deploying two solar wings.

1021 GMT (6:21 a.m. EDT)

TOUCHDOWN! Main gear touchdown. Drag chute deployed. Nose gear touchdown.

1021 GMT (6:21 a.m. EDT)

Landing gear down and locked. Standing by for touchdown on Runway 33.

1020 GMT (6:20 a.m. EDT)

Wings are level. Altitude 2,000 feet.

1020 GMT (6:20 a.m. EDT)

The shuttle descending at a rate seven times steeper than that of a commercial airliner.

1020 GMT (6:20 a.m. EDT)

Field in sight. Commander Brent Jett can see the runway as he guides Atlantis to landing.

1019 GMT (6:19 a.m. EDT)

Commander Brent Jett is in control after pilot Chris Ferguson got a few moments of stick time.

1019 GMT (6:19 a.m. EDT)

Altitude 22,000 feet as Atlantis makes the sweeping turn.

1018 GMT (6:18 a.m. EDT)

Long-range infrared tracking cameras have sighted Atlantis.

1018 GMT (6:18 a.m. EDT)

Runway 33 is a southeast to northwest approach.

1017 GMT (6:17 a.m. EDT)

The shuttle is in the Heading Alignment Cylinder, an imaginary circle to align with Runway 33. The crew is piloting Atlantis through a 300-degree right-overhead turn.

1017 GMT (6:17 a.m. EDT)

The sonic booms have thundered across the Cape area, announcing the shuttle's arrival.

1016 GMT (6:16 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis remains on course. Speed 760 mph.

1015 GMT (6:15 a.m. EDT)

Six minutes to landing. Atlantis is flying 14 miles over Central Florida at a speed just under Mach 2.

1013 GMT (6:13 a.m. EDT)

The shuttle's speed has decreased to 2,500 mph now.

1013 GMT (6:13 a.m. EDT)

Eight minutes to touchdown. Air data probes are being deployed from the shuttle's nose to feed air speed, altitude and angle of attack information to the computers for navigation.

1012 GMT (6:12 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is traveling at 4,300 mph, 25 miles in altitude, 225 miles from the runway.

1011 GMT (6:11 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is now making landfall over Florida's southwest coastline near Naples.

1011 GMT (6:11 a.m. EDT)

The TACAN navigation units aboard Atlantis are now receiving data from beacons located at the landing site.

1010 GMT (6:10 a.m. EDT)

320 miles to the runway.

1010 GMT (6:10 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis remains on the proper track for landing in 11 minutes. Mission Control computes Atlantis will land 2,600 feet down the runway at 195 knots.

1008 GMT (6:08 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is flying northwest of Cuba, 500 miles from the runway.

1007 GMT (6:07 a.m. EDT)

The shuttle is crossing the Gulf now at 10,000 mph and an altitude 35 miles.

1004 GMT (6:04 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is crossing the Yucatan Peninsula. Soon it will cross the Gulf of Mexico and make landfall nar Naples, Florida for the final minutes to landing.

1003 GMT (6:03 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is 41 miles up, 1,400 miles from the runway, traveling at 13,500 mph.

1002 GMT (6:02 a.m. EDT)

The shuttle is experiencing maximum heating as it descends through an altitude of 43 miles at a speed of Mach 21.

1000 GMT (6:00 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis has crossed the equator over the central Pacific.

0959 GMT (5:59 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis descending through an altitude of 45 miles.

0957 GMT (5:57 a.m. EDT)

International Space Station flight engineer Jeff Williams reports seeing the fiery contrail of Atlantis' entry into the atmosphere. The shuttle has been orbiting 200 miles from the station.

0956 GMT (5:56 a.m. EDT)

Time to touchdown now 25 minutes. Altitude is 250,000 feet. Speed is 16,500 mph.

0955 GMT (5:55 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is beginning the first of four banks to scrub off speed as it plunges into the atmosphere. These turns basically remove the energy Atlantis built up during launch. This first bank is to the left.

0954 GMT (5:54 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is 50 miles above the Pacific, 3,700 miles from the runway, traveling at 16,900 mph.

0953 GMT (5:53 a.m. EDT)

Altitude now 58 miles.

0950 GMT (5:50 a.m. EDT)

ENTRY INTERFACE. Atlantis' thermal protection system is feeling heat beginning to build as the orbiter enters the top fringes of the atmosphere -- a period known as entry interface.

The shuttle is flying at Mach 25 with its nose elevated 40 degrees, wings level, at an altitude of 400,000 feet over the southern Pacific Ocean and descending at a rate of over 600 feet per second.

Touchdown is set for 6:21 a.m. EDT in Florida.

0943 GMT (5:43 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is 122 statute miles in altitude.

0941 GMT (5:41 a.m. EDT)

Now 40 minutes to touchdown. Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility was built in 1975. The concrete strip is 300 feet wide and 15,000 feet long with 1,000-foot overruns at each end. The runway runs northwest to southeast and is located about three miles northwest of the 525-foot tall Vehicle Assembly Building.

0935 GMT (5:35 a.m. EDT)

Onboard guidance has maneuvered Atlantis from its heads-down, tail-forward position needed for the deorbit burn to the reentry configuration of heads-up and nose-forward. The nose will be pitched upward 40 degrees. In this new position, the black tiles on the shuttle's belly and the reinforced carbon-carbon panels on the wing leading edges and nose cap will shield the spacecraft during the fiery plunge through the Earth's atmosphere with temperatures reaching well over 2,000 degrees F. Atlantis will begin interacting with the upper fringes of the atmosphere above the South Pacific at 5:50 a.m. EDT.

0933 GMT (5:33 a.m. EDT)

The convoy of landing support vehicles has been positioned at runway staging point for receiving Atlantis. The team checked out their equipment on Tuesday. A sweep of the runway to clear any debris was performed Wednesday and again this morning.

0926 GMT (5:26 a.m. EDT)

The forward reaction control system fuel dump is complete.

0924 GMT (5:24 a.m. EDT)

Excess propellant reserves in the maneuvering thrusters on the shuttle's nose will be dumped overboard. The dump time will be 84 seconds.

0921 GMT (5:21 a.m. EDT)

Touchdown is 60 minutes away. This will be the 63rd shuttle landing at Kennedy Space Center and the 15th to occur in darkness.

0919 GMT (5:19 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis now maneuvering to the orientation for entry.

0917 GMT (5:17 a.m. EDT)

DEORBIT BURN COMPLETE. Atlantis has successfully completed the deorbit burn, committing the shuttle for its journey back to Earth. Landing is scheduled for 6:21 a.m. EDT at the Cape.

0914 GMT (5:14 a.m. EDT)

DEORBIT BURN IGNITION. Flying upside down and backwards 217 miles above the Indian Ocean, Atlantis has begun the deorbit burn. The firing of the twin orbital maneuvering system engines on the tail of the shuttle will last two minutes and 40 seconds, slowing the craft to slip from orbit. The retro-burn will send Atlantis to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a touchdown at 6:21 a.m. EDT.

0910 GMT (5:10 a.m. EDT)

Pilot Chris Ferguson is activating one of three Auxiliary Power Units in advance of the deorbit burn, now four minutes away. The other two APUs will be started later in the descent to provide pressure needed to power shuttle's hydraulic systems that move the wing flaps, rudder/speed brake, drop the landing gear and steer the nose wheel. NASA ensures that at least one APU is working before committing to the deorbit burn since the shuttle needs only a single unit to make a safe landing.

0900 GMT (5:00 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis has maneuvered for the deorbit burn.

0853 GMT (4:53 a.m. EDT)

GO FOR THE DEORBIT BURN! Space shuttle Atlantis is heading home this morning as scheduled. Entry flight director Steve Stich in Mission Control just gave the "go" to perform the deorbit burn at 5:14:23 a.m. EDT to commit the shuttle for the trip back to Earth.

The upcoming 2-minute, 40-second retrograde burn using the twin orbital maneuvering system engines on the tail of Atlantis will slow the shuttle's velocity by about 300 feet per second, just enough to slip the craft out of orbit and begin the plunge into the atmosphere.

Atlantis is headed to a landing at 6:21 a.m. EDT on Runway 33 at Kennedy Space Center to close out the 11-day, 19-hour, 6-minute mission. Touchdown will occur about 45 minutes before sunrise.

0844 GMT (4:44 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis' vent doors are being closed for entry. And pilot Chris Ferguson has put the Auxiliary Power Units cockpit switches in the ready-to-start configuration.

0838 GMT (4:38 a.m. EDT)

A steering check of the Atlantis' twin orbital maneuvering system engines on the tail of the shuttle is being performed. The engines will perform the deorbit burn to slow the ship for entry into the atmosphere this morning.

0821 GMT (4:21 a.m. EDT)

Now two hours from landing.

0811 GMT (4:11 a.m. EDT)

Commander Brent Jett reports the crew has completed the deorbit preparations timeline this morning. Mission Control says weather continues to look good at the landing site. The only slight concern is the formation of fog.

0745 GMT (3:45 a.m. EDT)

After donning the bright orange launch and entry suits for their homecoming, the crew will follow their fluid loading protocol of drinking large amounts of liquids and salt tablets to assist in the readaptation to Earth's gravity.

0714 GMT (3:14 a.m. EDT)

Now two hours away from the scheduled firing of Atlantis' twin orbital maneuvering system engines to drop from orbit. The burn begins at 5:14:28 a.m. EDT and will two minutes and 40 seconds. Landing is still set for Kennedy Space Center's Runway 33 at 6:21 a.m. EDT.

The weather outlook calls for clear skies, good visibility and light northwesterly winds for the predawn homecoming.

A final "go" or "no go" call from Mission Control whether to proceed with the deorbit burn is expected by 5 a.m. EDT.

0712 GMT (3:12 a.m. EDT)

Commander Brent Jett says the crew is ready to begin suiting up. Mission Control says it is time to start.

0651 GMT (2:51 a.m. EDT)

The shuttle's main flight computers have completed the switch to the entry software package.

0635 GMT (2:35 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis' clam-shell-like payload bay doors have been closed and locked in preparation for today's fiery descent into Earth's atmosphere and landing at Kennedy Space Center.

The weather forecast continues to look good and there are no technical problems to report. Touchdown is scheduled for 6:21 a.m. EDT.

Meanwhile, Mission Control has given the crew a "go" to transition the onboard computers from the OPS-2 software used during the shuttle's stay in space to OPS-3, which is the software package that governs entry and landing. And Atlantis will soon maneuver to a new orientation in space to improve the communications link with NASA's orbiting data relay satellites.

[GioFX]

1125 GMT (7:25 a.m. EDT)

The ground convoy team on the runway is busy with the standard post-landing activities. The tow of Atlantis toward Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1 is expected to begin around 11 a.m. The shuttle should be back inside its hangar by 12:30 p.m.

The ship's next mission is STS-117 to deliver the next set of solar wings to the space station. That launch is currently targeted for February 22.

1112 GMT (7:12 a.m. EDT)

The shuttle Atlantis dropped out of a clear, dark sky and glided to an eerie predawn landing today at the Kennedy Space Center, wrapping up a successful space station assembly mission that kicks off a complex sequence of construction flights.

With commander Brent Jett at the controls, Atlantis settled to a tire-smoking touchdown on runway 33 at 6:21:30 a.m., just 15 minutes after the space station, now sporting a huge new set of solar arrays, sailed through the predawn sky over Florida, a brilliant "star" rivaling Venus or Jupiter in brightness.

As Jett guided the 100-ton spaceplane down the 3-mile-long runway at more than 200 mph, pilot Chris Ferguson fired the ship's braking parachute, the nose dropped to the landing strip and a few moments later, Atlantis rolled to a stop.

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1104 GMT (7:04 a.m. EDT)

Commander Brent Jett is signing off to egress his ship.

1100 GMT (7:00 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis' crew hatch has been opened and the astronauts are climbing out.

1057 GMT (6:57 a.m. EDT)

Here are the landing times in Eastern Daylight Time and Mission Elapsed Time:

Main Gear Touchdown
6:21:30 a.m. EDT
MET: 11 days, 19 hours, 6 minutes, 35 seconds

Nose Gear Touchdown
6:21:36 a.m. EDT
MET: 11 days, 19 hours, 6 minutes, 41 seconds

Wheels Stop
6:22:16 a.m. EDT
MET: 11 days, 19 hours, 7 minutes, 21 seconds

The shuttle traveled 4.9 million miles.

1049 GMT (6:49 a.m. EDT)

The Crew Transport Vehicle -- a modified airport "People Mover" -- has pulled up to the side hatch for the astronauts to enter. The CTV features beds and comfortable seats for the astronauts to receive medical checks after returning to Earth's gravity from the weightless environment of space.

1045 GMT (6:45 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis' vent doors are being repositioned.

1043 GMT (6:43 a.m. EDT)

The crew is beginning to power down the onboard computers.

1039 GMT (6:39 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis' three Auxiliary Power Units have been shut down.

1035 GMT (6:35 a.m. EDT)

The main engine nozzles are being repositioned, or gimbaled, to the "rain drain" orientation. And the crew has been given a "go" to climb out of their entry spacesuits.

1031 GMT (6:31 a.m. EDT)

The ship's flight computers are transitioning to the OPS-9 software package.

1030 GMT (6:30 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis' body flap is being set.

1029 GMT (6:29 a.m. EDT)

The side hatch, drag chute and landing gear pyrotechnics have been safed.

1027 GMT (6:27 a.m. EDT)

On the runway, technicians have arrived with instruments to "sniff" the shuttle's exterior to check for any hazardous vapors.

1025 GMT (6:25 a.m. EDT)

The crew is beginning the post-landing procedures on Atlantis. The external tank umbilical doors on the shuttle's belly are being opened and the ship's thruster systems are being safed.