Image above: An STS-121 crew member aboard Space Shuttle Discovery captured this image of the space station in July 2006. Credit: NASA

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Expedition 13 ready for Atlantis and new construction

Space Shuttle Atlantis is due to launch Sunday and dock with the International Space Station on Tuesday.

In preparation for the STS-115 mission Expedition 13 crew members held another conference with photo specialists on the ground about rendezvous pitch maneuver photography, which will document the shuttle's thermal heat shield.

The crew will use these techniques to photograph Atlantis as it approaches the station from below in the final phase of its rendezvous for docking.

During the mission, astronauts will attach the new P3/P4 truss, a segment that includes a huge new set of solar arrays and a giant rotary joint to allow the arrays to track the sun.

The installation of the new truss segments and unfurling of the arrays will require unprecedented robotic operations. Those operations will use both the shuttle and station arms to delicately maneuver the school bus-sized component into place.

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