NASA STS-117 Status
Report #29
(22 June 2007) The astronauts on space
shuttle Atlantis are getting ready for a second day of landing attempts with a
chance to conclude the mission, in Florida or California.
Poor
weather prevented a landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida yesterday.
Today Entry Flight Director Norm Knight will work with two opportunities to KSC
and three chances at Edwards Air Force Base in California to bring Atlantis
home. The Florida weather forecast includes the possibility for more
thundershowers; the Edwards forecast is more favourable.
The crew's
wakeup song this morning, "The Marines' Hymn," was played for the mission
commander, Col. Rick Sturckow, USMC.
The crew should begin deorbit
preparations at 8:12 a.m. and close the payload bay doors at 9:32 a.m. Here are
predicted times for today's landing opportunities (all CDT):
| Orbit | Site | Deorbit Burn | Landing |
| 218 | Kennedy | 12:12 p.m. | 1:18 p.m. |
| 219 | Edwards Kennedy |
1:43 p.m. 1:50 p.m. |
2:49 p.m. 2:55 p.m. |
| 220 | Edwards | 3:18 p.m. | 4:23 p.m. |
| 221 | Edwards | 4:56 p.m. | 5:59 p.m. |
A landing at KSC on the first opportunity
would give Mission Specialist Suni Williams a mission elapsed time of 194 days,
18 hours and 31 minutes, the longest spaceflight ever by a woman.
The
next STS-117 status report will be issued Friday afternoon, or earlier if
events warrant.
(source: NASA Johnson Space Center)