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| Image above: Mission STS-122 Commander Steve Frick,
right, and Pilot Alan Poindexter mark the end of a series of simulated
psace shuttle landings in the Shutle Training Aircraft at NASA's Kennedy
Space Center. The aircraft they flew is a modified business jet that
mimics the characteristics of a space shuttle returning to Earth.
Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett |
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Atlantis crew and launch team prepare for
STS-122 flight
From astronauts practicing shuttle landings to engineers and technicians
running tests on space shuttle Atlantis, NASA's Kennedy
Space Center is excitedly preparing for its fourth shuttle launch in 2007.
The shuttle is scheduled to lift off at 4:31 p.m. EST on Thursday to begin
mission STS-122.
"Things are going extremely well," Launch Director Doug Lyons
said. "The launch team is executing the count in fine fashion. It's
been a very, very smooth, clean count, which is how we like it."
NASA's Mission Management Team conducted its regular evaluation two days
before launch and voted unanimously to continue the countdown.
"(It was) a very good day for us," MMT Chairman Leroy Cain
said.
Liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen were to be pumped into spherical tanks
inside Atlantis Tuesday night. They will power the shuttle's fuel cells
during flight. A number of tests are continuing on critical systems. The
Rotating Service Structure which protects the shuttle and its payload
will be moved from around Atlantis Wednesday night.
The weather outlook is also looking good, according to Shuttle Weather
Officer Kathy Winters. The forecast calls for a 90 percent chance of acceptable
conditions.
"The weather looks really good for Thursday," Winters said.
Atlantis commander Steve Frick and pilot Alan Poindexter took turns flying
simulated landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft. The heavily modified
Gulfstream II business jet mimics an orbiter gliding back to Earth.
The crew of seven astronauts will install the Columbus laboratory on
the International Space Station. The 23-foot-long cylinder is the European
Space Agency's primary contribution to the space research facility. The
lab is to operate at the station for at least 10 years.
"We like to think that now we're at the end of the beginning,"
said Alan Thirkettle, ESA's International Space Station manager.
ARISS antennas bound for space
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