NASA STS-117 Status
Report #25
(20 June 2007) Space shuttle Atlantis'
astronauts spent - weather permitting - their last full day on orbit today
getting their ship ready to return home tomorrow with two landing opportunities
available at Florida's Kennedy Space Center at 12:55 p.m. and 2:30
p.m.
Commander Rick Sturckow, Pilot Lee Archambault, and Mission
Specialist and Flight Engineer Steven Swanson checked out Atlantis' hydraulic
systems and flight control surfaces beginning at 8:58 a.m. today. That was
followed closely by the steering jet tests at 10:08 a.m.
All seven
astronauts spent the day stowing equipment for the landing, and then came
together just after 2 p.m. to discuss their mission with NBC, ABC and CNN. The
crew is scheduled to go to sleep at 8:38 p.m. and wake up at 4:38 a.m.
Thursday.
The Mission Management Team worked into the early evening to
ensure the shuttle is safe for landing. Some fuzz from a gap filler poking out
on the outer edge of the left wing was noticed during Tuesday's late inspection
and deemed safe for re-entry based on its location and measured protrusion of
about 4/10 of an inch. Also, the MMT reviewed additional data presented on the
thermal blanket damaged during launch on June 8. The blanket was repaired
during the third spacewalk of the mission and cleared for
re-entry.
Discussions centred around thermal models developed by
engineers to assess whether any damage may have occurred to underlying
structure, but photographs taken by Danny Olivas - who affected the repair -
clearly showed no heat effects.
Entry Flight Director Norm Knight
indicated that the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, would be the only landing
site considered Thursday, based on consumables that provide flexibility to land
as far out as Sunday. The weather forecast shows a chance of rain showers
within 30 miles of the runway at landing time with a cloud deck at 5,000 feet -
both are landing violations. The plan calls for a deorbit engine firing at
11:50 a.m. for the 12:55 p.m. landing and a 1:25 p.m. deorbit burn for the 2:30
p.m. landing opportunity.
If landing is moved to Friday, two landing
opportunities would be available in Florida and two in California at the
Edwards Air Force Base. Three sites would be available Saturday in order of
preference - Florida, California or at White Sands Space Harbor in New
Mexico.
The next STS-117 status report will be issued Thursday morning
or earlier if events warrant.
(source: NASA Johnson Space
Center)