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| Image above: Space Shuttle Atlantis
lifts off from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Photo
Credit: NASA |
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Atlantis in good shape after launch
The STS-115 astronauts entered their sleep period at 5:15 p.m. EDT Saturday
for a well-deserved rest after the successful launch of Space Shuttle
Atlantis.
They will begin their first full day in space at 1:15 a.m. Sunday with
a wake-up call from the Mission Control Center in Houston. Sunday's activities
will focus on shuttle heat shield inspections and preparations for STS-115's
arrival at the International Space Station.
During a post-launch briefing on Saturday, Space Shuttle Program Manager
Wayne Hale said Atlantis appears to have come through launch in good shape
and unscathed.
Hale's announcement follows analysis of imagery of the shuttle's climb
into space provided by cameras on the ground around Kennedy Space Center
and mounted onboard the vehicle.
Hale even went so far as to apologize for bringing no images to the
news conference. "There's just nothing to look at," said an
obviously pleased Hale.
Hale did acknowledge that five objects believed to be foam and ice harmlessly
released from the space shuttle beginning at approximately four minutes
into Atlantis' flight. He added that due to the thinness of the atmosphere
and other factors the debris didn't have anywhere near the velocity needed
to cause damage to the orbiter.
Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off from Kennedy Space Center and charged
into the midday Florida sky on a mission to boost power on the International
Space Station. The launch was on time, with liftoff at 11:15 a.m. Saturday.
Over the 11-day mission, the six-member crew will perform three spacewalks
to install the P3/P4 integrated truss and solar arrays on the station,
doubling the current power-generating capability of the orbiting outpost.
Atlantis' Crew and Mission
The STS-115 crew consists of Commander Brent W. Jett Jr., Pilot Christopher
J. Ferguson and Mission Specialists Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper, KD5TVR,
Joseph R. Tanner, Daniel C. Burbank, KC5ZSX, and Steven G. MacLean, who
represents the Canadian Space Agency.
With this mission, NASA is ready to get back to building the International
Space Station, marking the first time in almost four years that a space
station component has been added to the orbiting outpost. That also means
the shuttle program is coming up on some of the most challenging space
missions ever.
During their three spacewalks, crew members of Atlantis will install
the P3/P4 integrated truss and a second set of solar arrays on the space
station, doubling the station’s current ability to generate power
from sunlight and adding 17.5 tons to its mass.
Learn more about the truss
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