Space Shuttle
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Space shuttle Endeavour's STS-118, on a mission to the International Space Station, is scheduled to lift off on August 8, 2007 at 6:36 p.m. During the 11-day mission, Endeavour's crew of seven astronauts will conduct at least three spacewalks. They will install new station components, replace one of the outpost's attitude control gyroscopes, deliver 5,000 pounds of supplies and add a segment to the right side of the station's backbone, or truss. Visitors to NASA's shuttle website can read about the crew's progress and watch the spacewalks, which will be broadcast live from the space station.
The space shuttle Atlantis and its crew are home after completing a 14-day journey of more than 5.8 million miles in space. Atlantis' STS-117 mission successfully increased the power capability of the International Space Station, preparing for the future delivery of European and Japanese laboratories.
Atlantis' Commander Rick Sturckow, Pilot Lee Archambault and mission specialists Jim Reilly, Patrick Forrester, Steven Swanson, John "Danny" Olivas and Sunita Williams landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, Friday, June 22, 2007 at 3:49 p.m. EDT.
Atlantis' crew attached the new S3/S4 solar array truss segment on the right side of the station's backbone, deployed a new set of solar arrays, and retracted the Port 6 starboard solar array back into its box. The station has a new look with two symmetrical solar panels mounted on each end of the station's truss.
Reilly, Olivas, Swanson and Forrester, with the help of crewmates, made four spacewalks to complete the construction tasks. They activated the truss segment and the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint, which allows the new arrays to track the sun, and helped fold the Port 6 array. During the third spacewalk, the crew repaired a 4-by-6 inch raised corner of a thermal blanket on the port side Orbital Maneuvering System pod. Aerodynamic forces during Atlantis' ascent lifted the blanket.
NASA started the launch countdown for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-117 mission at 9 p.m. EDT Tuesday, June 5, at the T-43 hour point. The countdown includes 27 hours, 32 minutes of built-in hold time leading to a preferred launch time at approximately 7:38 p.m. EDT Friday, June 8. The launch window extends an additional five minutes.
The spacecraft carried a 400-year-old Jamestown artifact.