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Coverage continues at Part 3 of our Mission Journal.
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09 October 2002 - Evening Update -
Flight Day 3 saw the
commencement of
joint operations between the six-member
Atlantis crew and the
trio from ISS's
Expedition Five.
NASA reports:
Expedition Five Welcomes STS-112 Crew Aboard ISS
Expedition Five Commander Valery Korzun, Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev and NASA ISS
Science Officer Peggy Whitson welcomed the STS-112 crew aboard the
International Space Station at 11:51 a.m. CDT (1651 GMT) Wednesday. The
STS-112 crew is Expedition Five's first set of visitors at the station since June.
Atlantis'
arrival also sets the stage for the expansion of the
station. The two crews will use the station's robot arm, Canadarm2, to
attach the S1 (S-One) Truss Thursday morning. After it is attached,
STS-112 spacewalkers will begin the process of activating and outfitting
the S1. The STS-112 crew will conduct three spacewalks during its stay.
Watch
NASA TV on Thursday to see coverage of the installation of the S1
(S-One) Truss onto the International Space Station and the first STS-112
spacewalk. The S1 is scheduled to be attached to the ISS at 8:06 a.m. CDT [9:06AM EDT/1306 GMT]
and Mission Spcecialists Dave Wolf and Piers Sellers are slated to
begin the 6.5-hour spacewalk at 9:41 a.m. CDT [10:41AM EDT/1441 GMT].
NASA TV Schedule
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09 October - Afternoon Update - DOCKED! - Shuttle
Atlantis has docked with
Space Station
Alpha, and the crews are
busy
getting ready for tomorrow's
spacewalk, the first
of three scheduled for this
mission.
NASA reports:
STS-112 Arrives at Station
Space Shuttle Atlantis reached its destination at 10:17 a.m. CDT [11:17AM
EDT/1517 GMT] today when it docked with the International
Space Station. Docking occurred as the two vehicles flew over western China.
STS-112 Commander Jeff Ashby, Pilot Pam Melroy and Mission
Specialists Sandy Magnus, David Wolf, Piers Sellers and Fyodor Yurchikhin entered the
station for the first time at 11:51 a.m. CDT [12:51PM EDT/1651 GMT] today.
Attention now turns to the installation of the S1 (S-One) Truss
onto the station and STS-112's first spacewalk. The S1 is slated to be
attached at 8:06 a.m. CDT [9:06AM EDT/1306 GMT] Thursday. STS-112 Mission Specialists
David Wolf and Piers Sellers will start the process of activating and
outfitting the S1 during the spacewalk, which is slated to begin at 9:41
a.m. CDT [10:41AM EDT/1441 GMT] Thursday.
Docking photos here.
Flight Day 2 videos
are up. Stay tuned...
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09 October 2002 - Docking Day -
Flight Day 3 is
here, and Atlantis will
link up with the
International Space Station
this
morning.
NASA reports:
STS-112 to Dock with Station Today
Space
Shuttle Atlantis and its six-member crew are close to wrapping up their
pursuit of the
International Space Station. Atlantis is scheduled to link up with the
station at 10:24 a.m. CDT (1524 GMT) today to begin a week of joint
operations for the STS-112 and Expedition Five crews. STS-112 Commander
Jeff Ashby, Pilot Pam Melroy and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus, David
Wolf, Piers Sellers and Fyodor Yurchikhin will enter the station and greet
the Expedition Five crew about two hours after docking.
The main objective of STS-112’s visit to the orbital outpost is
the installation of the S1 (S-One) Truss, which is currently riding to the
station in Atlantis’ payload bay. The S1 is the third piece of the
11-piece Integrated Truss Structure to be delivered to the station. It
will give the station more power-generation and science capabilities. The
STS-112 crew will perform three spacewalks to install and activate the new
component. The two crews will also transfer cargo between the shuttle and station.
After the 11:24AM EDT docking, the hatches will open at about 1PM EDT and
the
crews will meet. Check the play-by-play links at
right for up-to-the-minute status, and watch
NASA TV to see the docking live.
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08 October 2002 - Evening Update -
Atlantis will
dock with
Space Station
Alpha
tomorrow
morning at 11:24AM EDT.
NASA reports:
STS-112 Crew Prepares for Arrival at Station, Spacewalks
The STS-112 crew spent its first full day in orbit preparing
for docking with the
International Space Station and its spacewalks. The crewmembers set up
equipment that will be used in Space Shuttle Atlantis' approach and
docking with the orbital outpost. Commander Jeff Ashby and Pilot Pam Melroy refined the shuttle's orbit with three engine burns to assist in
the pursuit of the station.
Mission Specialists David Wolf and Piers Sellers prepared for their three
extravehicular activities by checking out equipment that they will use.
Wolf and Piers will conduct all three spacewalks, during which they will
assist in the installation of the S1 (S-One) Truss onto the station and
its outfitting and activation. Also, Ashby and Mission Specialist Sandy
Magnus worked with the shuttle's robot arm to check out the arm's
readiness and conduct a survey of the S1 in the payload bay.
In other activities, Wolf worked with the SHIMMER experiment -- an investigation
that looks for possible ozone loss in Earth's atmosphere.
Watch
NASA TV on Wednesday to see coverage of the arrival of STS-112 at the
International Space Station. Space Shuttle Atlantis is slated to dock with
the orbital outpost at 10:24 a.m. CDT [11:24AM EDT/1524 GMT]. Then, the STS-112 and
Expedition Five crews are scheduled to greet each other about 12:30 p.m.
CDT [1:30PM EDT/1730 GMT].
NASA TV Schedule
The Space Shuttle
lifted off yesterday
afternoon under the
tight security
that has become
typical since the terrorist attacks of 11 Sep 2001.
Six
small aircraft were intercepted in the "no-fly zone" around the
launchpad yesterday, but none were considered to be threats. F-15 fighters
escorted
them out of the area.
Ask the MCC answers
are now available.
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08 October 2002 - Tuesday - Flight Day 2 has Atlantis and her
crew of six
chasing Space Station Alpha, where
the Expedition Five crew
wait for their first visitors since June.
NASA reports:
Atlantis
Closes in on Space Station
The
six STS-112 crewmembers will spend their first day in orbit preparing for
their arrival at the International Space Station and the activities that
they will perform during their weeklong stay. Commander Jeff Ashby and
Pilot Pam Melroy will check out shuttle systems and perform engine burns
to refine Atlantis’ pursuit of the station. Atlantis is scheduled to
link up with the outpost at 10:24 a.m. CDT [11:24AM EDT/1524 GMT] Wednesday.
The other crewmembers will prepare for the mission’s three
spacewalks, during which the S1 (S-One) Truss will be attached to the
station and activated. Mission Specialists Piers Sellers and David Wolf will
perform the first spacewalk, beginning at 9:41 a.m. CDT [10:41AM EDT/1441 GMT] Thursday.
Flight
Day 1 videos are now available in the NASA Gallery,
including a clip from the new
ShuttleCam.
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07 October 2002 - Evening Update -
The
crew of Atlantis
continues on orbit, heading for a
Wednesday rendezvous with the
International Space
Station.
Today's launch
marks the
end of a four-month hiatus in
flights, caused by
cracks found in
metal
liners within
liquid hydrogen fuel pipes in the Shuttle fleet, as well as
trouble with
the massive crawler-transporters that
haul the
Shuttles to their
launchpads.
Launch video is up at
KSC.
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07 October - Afternoon Update - LIFTOFF! - "Building
the Station and our future in space": A
beautiful, on-time
launch for Atlantis!
The new Shuttlecam gave a
unique view of the
launch (in addition to the
other camera angles).
NASA reports:
Space Shuttle Atlantis Launches
STS-112
began when Space Shuttle Atlantis successfully launched from Kennedy Space
Center, Fla., at 2:46 p.m. CDT [3:46PM EDT/1946 GMT] Monday. Atlantis and
its six-member crew are en route to the International Space Station.
While at the station, the STS-112 crew -- Commander Jeff Ashby,
Pilot Pam Melroy and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus, Piers Sellers,
David Wolf and Fyodor Yurchikhin -- will work with the Expedition Five
crew to continue the outward expansion of the orbital outpost. The STS-112
crew will conduct three spacewalks to install the S1 (S-One) Truss and transfer cargo.
Atlantis is slated to dock with the station at 10:29 a.m. CDT [11:29AM EDT/1529 GMT] Wednesday.
Click here for an interactive view of STS-112 (Requires
Flash Player).
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07 October - Morning Update - The
countdown continues.
NASA reports:
Atlantis Set to Launch Today
Space Shuttle Program managers announced that Space Shuttle Atlantis
and its six-member crew will begin their journey to the International
Space Station at 2:46 p.m. CDT [3:46PM EDT/1946 GMT] today. The launch countdown
continues to proceed at Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
Forecasts indicate an 80-percent chance of favorable weather at
launch time. The main concern is for possible isolated thunderstorms due
to a weak frontal boundary moving into northern Florida early this week.
STS-112 will be 15th shuttle flight to visit the space station.
The mission’s primary objective is the delivery and installation of the S1
(S-One) Truss to the international outpost. The STS-112 crew will perform
three spacewalks to install and activate the new component. The crew will
also deliver supplies and equipment to the station.
Watch NASA TV to see live coverage of the STS-112 launch,
beginning at 11:30 a.m. CDT [12:30PM EDT/1630 GMT] today.
NASA TV Schedule
Check the play-by-play links at
right for up-to-the-minute status, and watch
NASA TV to see the
launch live - including
views from the "Shuttlecam"!
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07 October 2002 - LAUNCH DAY -
Happy Monday, folks. It
appears that yesterday's concerns with the
fuel-cell systems aboard
Atlantis
have been addressed, so we are
on track for
this afternoon's
3:45:51PM EDT launch.
NASA reports:
STS-112
to Use External Tank Camera During Launch
For the first time, space shuttle astronauts will carry television viewers
along for the initial ride into orbit when Space Shuttle Atlantis lifts off Oct. 7.
NASA
Television viewers should see a spectacular live view of the orbiter
from a color video camera mounted to the top of the External Tank. The
camera, which will provide a view of the front and belly of the orbiter
and a portion of the Solid Rocket Boosters and External Tank, will offer
the STS-112 team an opportunity to monitor the shuttle's performance from
a new angle.
The camera is expected to operate for 30 minutes -- 15 minutes
before and 15 minutes after liftoff. It will provide views of launch and
separation of the right booster and the External Tank.
Join in KSC Direct's live webcast as the coverage of the countdown to launch of
Atlantis continues.
Live Video Stream
There is a 90% chance of good weather at
KSC. Keep an eye on the play-by-play links at
right and watch
NASA TV to see the
launch live - including views from the "Shuttlecam"!
For preflight reports, see Part 1 of our Mission Journal.
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