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Atlantis set to launch on Friday

Space Shuttle Atlantis and the STS-115 crew is set to launch Friday morning on an assembly mission to the International Space Station.
The launch time for Atlantis is targeted for 11:41 a.m.

During a Thursday evening news conference Wayne Hale, Space Shuttle Program manager, said the decision to fly came about after a lively and inclusive meeting with space shuttle mission managers and engineers held in the early afternoon. "If you ever wanted to see the difference between the old NASA and the new NASA, you should've been over there today. There was a chance for everyone to participate." Hale continued to say that the Mission Management team's vote to fly on Friday was nearly unanimous.

The decision to launch follows analysis of an issue found with one of Atlantis' three electricity-generating fuel cells, which was discovered during pre-launch preparations earlier this week. NASA engineers have determined that any failure of the suspect fuel cell during the mission poses no danger to Atlantis and its crew. They also believe two fuel cells alone would provide Atlantis with enough power to accomplish the major goals of the mission.

The conditions at Kennedy Space Center for Friday's launch look promising with only a 30 percent chance that weather could ground the flight. The primary weather concerns for the morning launch are of cumulus clouds or isolated thunderstorms in the area.

Space Shuttle Fuel Cells
The space shuttle's fuel cell system is made up of three cells, which are located under the payload bay liner in the forward portion of the orbiter's midfuselage. Each 255-pound reusable cell is 14 inches high, 15 inches wide and 40 inches long. The three cells operate as independent electrical power sources that generate heat and water as by-products of the power generation. The water is stored and used for the environmental control and life support system.

The STS-115 crew - which includes two radio amateurs - 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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