Atlantis docks with ISS, stage set for first spacewalk

Today, Atlantis made contact with the International Space Station and prepared for the first of three planned spacewalks to continue construction of the orbiting laboratory. After a perfect launch, “smooth” is the word to describe this docking.

Carpenter Newton reporting for Digital Journal –– Just like he had been training for years to do, STS-117 Commander Rick Sturckow successfully docked space shuttle Atlantis to the International Space Station at 3:36 p.m. EDT this afternoon as the two craft orbited high above Australia. “ISS and Houston, this is Atlantis. Capture confirmed,” Sturckow said moments after the docking. Astronaut Sunita Williams, who has been aboard the space station since last December, replied with “Atlantis, arriving,” and followed with bells that traditionally ring when a shuttle docks to the ISS. About 90 minutes passed before hatches between the craft were opened and the STS-117 and Expedition 15 crews shared handshakes and hugs. Before docking, the shuttle completed a rotational pitch maneuver, a move that is now standard procedure so pictures can be taken of the delicate heat shield on the shuttle from the ISS for inspection by engineers on the ground. Ready For First Spacewalk After Atlantis docked to the ISS, work quickly began to get prepared for the mission’s first spacewalk, scheduled to take place Monday. Astronauts used the shuttle’s robotic arm to grapple the S3/S4 truss out of the payload bay and maneuver it into place so the space station’s robotic arm could take hold. Early this evening, the ISS robotic arm grabbed the truss and will keep hold of it until it’s installation tomorrow by Mission Specialists James Reilly and John “Danny” Olivas. Insulation Blanket Damage May Warrant Simple Repair At today’s Mission Briefing, the damaged insulation blanket found around Atlantis’ left maneuvering rocket pod was still a topic of conversation. Although previous shuttle missions have returned to Earth with lost or damaged blankets, NASA doesn’t appear to be taking any chances. John Shannon of NASA’s Mission Management Team said he would like to “avoid that whole scenario [potential re-entry heat damage] altogether and tuck the blanket back down.” Shannon went on to say, “If we can accommodate it, I think that’s probably what we’ll do.” Engineers are still analyzing still photographs of the damaged blanket and should have a better understanding of just what the situation will detail on Monday. Clay Anderson, Newest ISS Resident After docking with the ISS, Clayton Anderson started moving aboard the International Space Station. Anderson replaces Sunita Williams in the station, and the change became official when Anderson and Williams exchanged Soyuz seatliners. Williams is poised to break Shannon Lucid’s record for time in space by a woman later this week. She already holds the spacewalk record for women with a total time of 29 hours and 17 minutes.