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| Image above: Atlantis stands on Launch Pad 39B just
before the rotating service structure was moved into place to safely
cloak the shuttle from Tropical Depression Ernesto. Photo credit:
NASA/KSC |
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Ham radio pair get new launch date
Following a detailed inspection of NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis at the
Kennedy Space Center, Fla., the six-member crew - which includes two radio
amateurs - has a new launch date to begin the STS-115 mission to the International
Space Station. The lift-off from Kennedy is set for 12:29 p.m. EDT Wednesday,
September 6.
Shuttle managers decided on the launch date after assessing conditions
at Kennedy following Tropical Depression Ernesto. The center's facilities
and Atlantis, which sits on Launch Pad 39-B, sustained no damage during
the storm.
If weather or other issues prevent Atlantis' launch on Sept. 6, opportunities
are available on Sept. 7 and 8. All dates allow for completion of the
mission's objectives and allow for shuttle undocking from the station
by Sept. 17. This is necessary so the Russian Soyuz taking the next space
station crew up to the orbiting laboratory can launch Sept. 18.
Many of the standard launch preparations were completed before the shuttle's
partial move to the center's landmark Vehicle Assembly Building and return
to the launch pad on Tuesday. During the next several days, teams will
focus on completing pre-launch tasks, so an official countdown can begin
Sunday at 8 a.m. EDT.
The STS-115 crew, Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Chris Ferguson, and mission
specialists Joe Tanner, Dan Burbank, KC5ZSX, Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper,
KD5TVR, and Canadian astronaut Steve MacLean, are in Houston conducting
launch simulations. The astronauts will return to Kennedy on Saturday
morning. They already have begun adjusting their sleep cycles to match
their timeline in orbit that changed due to the new launch time.
During STS-115, Atlantis' astronauts will deliver and install the 17.5-ton,
bus-sized P3/P4 integrated truss segment on the station. The girder-like
truss includes a set of giant solar arrays, batteries and associated electronics.
The P3/P4 truss segment will provide one-fourth of the total power-generation
capability for the completed station.
For information about the STS-115 crew and mission, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
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