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NASA TV AND WEB COVERAGE 24/7
by Arthur Rowe 11 Sep '06

11 Sep '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 Sept. 10, 2006 Allard Beutel Headquarters, Washington 202-358-4769 James Hartsfield Johnson Space Center, Fla. 281-483-5111 NASA TV AND WEB COVERAGE OF SHUTTLE ATLANTIS MISSION NASA is providing round-the-clock television and Internet coverage of Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission, STS-115, to the International Space Station. NASA Television features live mission events, daily status news conferences and 24-hour commentary. NASA TV is webcast at: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv NASA web coverage of STS-115 includes the latest mission information, interactive features and news conference images, graphics and videos. The latest NASA TV schedule of mission coverage also is available on the main space shuttle Web site: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle The daily status news conferences with STS-115 mission managers take place at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston. For information about other NASA missions and activities, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/home

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ATLANTIS AND ISS ATTACHED
by Arthur Rowe 11 Sep '06

11 Sep '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 STS-115 ATLANTIS SPACE SHUTTLE HAS SUCCESSFULLY MATED TO THE ISS. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO FOLLOW LATER.

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STATUS REPORT: STS-115-04
by Arthur Rowe 11 Sep '06

11 Sep '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 NASA NEWS 2 a.m. CDT, Monday, Sept. 11, 2006 Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas 09.11.06 STATUS REPORT: STS-115-04 STS-115 MCC Status Report #04 The Space Shuttle Atlantis crew has begun a busy and exciting day. The shuttle and the International Space Station are scheduled to dock at 5:46 a.m. CDT and begin seven days of joint operations. The crew awoke at 11:15 p.m. to a solo cello performance by Dan Burbank’s children. About an hour later the crew began rendezvous operations. As Atlantis approaches the station, Commander Brent Jett and Pilot Chris Ferguson will do the rendezvous pitch maneuver. The maneuver, essentially a back flip, lets the station crew photograph Atlantis' heat shield. Throughout the morning, other shuttle crewmembers, mission specialists Joe Tanner, Dan Burbank, Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper and Steve MacLean, will conduct other tasks including filling spacesuit water containers, photo and video setups, and exercise. Once docked, they’ll do leak checks before opening the hatches to the space station. Meanwhile, Ferguson and Burbank will attach the shuttle's robotic arm to the P3/P4 Truss in the payload bay and prepare for its unberthing and handover to the station's Canadarm2. The two crews are expected to meet personally in space a little before 7 a.m. After their initial greetings, and a standard safety briefing, both teams move into one of the biggest tasks of the mission, moving P3/P4 to its new home in space. Ferguson and Burbank will unberth the 17.5 ton truss from Atlantis’ cargo hold and maneuver it to the grapple position for the station arm. MacLean will join Expedition 13 NASA Science Officer Jeff Williams at the controls of the Candarm2, becoming the first Canadian to operate it in space. Other crewmembers will begin transfer activities, check out spacewalk equipment and review procedures for the mission's three spacewalks. The day will end with Stefanyshyn-Piper and Tanner moving into the Quest Airlock, its pressure reduced to 10.2 psi, in the pre-spacewalk “campout” protocol. The station crew is scheduled for sleep at 2:45 p.m. and the shuttle crew 30 minutes later. The next STS-115 mission status report will be issued Monday afternoon, or earlier if events warrant.

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Crew Conducts Heat Shield Inspection
by Arthur Rowe 10 Sep '06

10 Sep '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 *Crew Conducts Heat Shield Inspection; Shuttle to Dock With Station Monday* The STS-115 crew conducted heat shield inspections Sunday as Space Shuttle Atlantis continued its chase of the International Space Station. The crew performed two sets of inspections to see if Atlantis was damaged during its climb into space on Saturday. During the first set, the crew used the orbiter boom sensor system, attached to the end of the shuttle’s robot arm, to perform thorough inspections of wing leading edges and the nose cap. After the boom was returned to the payload bay, the astronauts used the arm to take a look at the crew cabin and other areas on Atlantis’ upper surface. In other activities, STS-115 crew members prepared for their arrival at the International Space Station and the upcoming spacewalks. STS-115 is slated to dock with the orbital outpost at 6:46 a.m. EDT (1046 UTC) Monday. Atlantis’ arrival at the station will signal the resumption of on-orbit construction of the station with the delivery of the P3/P4 truss segment and a new set of solar arrays. The STS-115 crew will conduct three spacewalks to install and prepare the truss and arrays for operation. The STS-115 crew entered their scheduled sleep period at 4:15 p.m. Sunday and will wake up at 12:15 a.m. Monday.

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EXP 13 LATEST STATUS
by Arthur Rowe 10 Sep '06

10 Sep '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 The Expedition 13 crew is awaiting the arrival of Space Shuttle Atlantis and the STS-115 astronauts. Atlantis began STS-115 when it launched from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., at 11:15 a.m. EDT Saturday. After a two-day chase, Atlantis is scheduled to dock with the station at 6:46 a.m. Monday. STS-115 will resume the on-orbit construction of the station with the delivery of the P3/4 truss and a new set of solar arrays. After the truss is attached to the station, the STS-115 crew will conduct three spacewalks to outfit the truss and to prepare the arrays for operation. The solar arrays are slated to be unfurled on flight day 6. This is the first station construction mission since STS-113 in late 2002. In addition to the work outside the station, the STS-115 and Expedition 13 crews will conduct joint operations and transfer cargo between Atlantis and the station. Atlantis is slated to undock from the station on Sept. 17. STS-115 will be the 19th shuttle mission to visit the international outpost. When Atlantis launched, the station was orbiting the Earth at 50 degrees north latitude and 31 degrees west longitude, between Greenland and Iceland. For the latest information on STS-115, please visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html>

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STS-115 STATUS REPORT 115-02
by Arthur Rowe 10 Sep '06

10 Sep '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 1:30 a.m. CDT, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2006 Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas 09.10.06 STATUS REPORT: STS-115-02 STS-115 MCC Status Report #02 After days of waking up in quarantine, the crew of the space shuttle Atlantis woke up in weightlessness for its first full day in space. The six-person crew of Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Chris Ferguson and Mission Specialists Dan Burbank, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, Joe Tanner and Steve MacLean awoke at 12:17 a.m. CDT to Audrey Hepburn singing “Moon River,” played for Jett at the request of his wife, Janet. Today’s busy schedule is typical of the mission ahead. After their initial post-sleep period, the crewmembers will begin preparations for the day’s many tasks. Jett and Ferguson will start the day with a burn of the orbiter maneuvering system to help position the shuttle on its course to the International Space Station. Jett will then do shuttle system checks and maneuvers, camera setups and water configurations. For Ferguson, the rest of the workday will be dedicated to shuttle survey activities. Operating the robotics visualization software program, Ferguson will work with Burbank and MacLean to survey Atlantis' thermal protection system. They will grapple and unberth the 50-foot-long orbiter boom sensor system, a crane extension for the shuttle's robotic arm. The extension uses two lasers and a high-resolution television camera to examine the shuttle’s wing leading edges and nose cap for any signs of damage that may have occurred during launch. Imagery analysts at the Johnson Space Center in Houston will examine data from the survey to assess Atlantis’ critical surfaces. Tanner and Stefanyshyn-Piper will check out the spacesuits and tools that they, Burbank and MacLean will use during the mission’s three scheduled spacewalks. They’ll also make preparations of the items to be transferred to the station as well as perform photo and video setups. At the end of the day, Stefanyshyn-Piper and Ferguson will check out the rendezvous tools. The next STS-115 status report will be issued Sunday afternoon, or earlier if events warrant.

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STATUS REPORT: STS-115-01
by Arthur Rowe 10 Sep '06

10 Sep '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 2 p.m. CDT, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2006 Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas 09.09.06 STATUS REPORT: STS-115-01 STS-115 MCC Status Report #01 Atlantis launched into an almost clear Florida sky this morning for an 11-day mission that marks the return to assembly of the International Space Station. Today marks the first time in almost four years that a major new space station component has been launched. Atlantis' mission begins a series of complex station expansion missions that will be among the most challenging spaceflights in history. Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Chris Ferguson and Mission Specialists Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, Joe Tanner, Dan Burbank and Steve MacLean, a Canadian Space Agency astronaut, lifted off at 10:15 a.m. CDT. The launch followed a flawless countdown. During the climb to orbit, Mission Control asked the crew to reconfigure a cooling system that apparently had ice build up. The reconfiguration cleared the system, called the Flash Evaporator System, and it operated normally. Temporary ice in that cooling unit is not uncommon and has occurred on previous missions. Moments after main engine cutoff, 8.5 minutes after liftoff, Tanner and MacLean used handheld video and digital still cameras to document the external tank after it separated from the shuttle. That imagery, as well as imagery gathered by cameras in the shuttle’s umbilical well where the tank was connected, will be transmitted to the ground for review. As Atlantis launched, the space station was 220 miles above the northern Atlantic Ocean, between Greenland and Iceland. Aboard the outpost are Expedition 13 Commander Pavel Vinogradov, a Russian cosmonaut; Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer Jeff Williams; and Flight Engineer Thomas Reiter of the European Space Agency. They watched the launch via a live television transmission from Houston. Atlantis is set to dock to the complex at about 5:46 a.m. CDT Sept. 11. Atlantis' crew will install the 17.5-ton, bus-sized P3/P4 integrated truss section to the station that includes a second set of solar arrays, batteries and associated electronics. The addition eventually will double the station’s capability to generate power from sunlight. The girder-like P3/P4 truss is 45 feet long. Three spacewalks are planned to install the truss, deploy the arrays and prepare them for operation. Two teams, Tanner and Piper and Burbank and MacLean, will conduct the spacewalks. During the mission, a thorough inspection will be performed in orbit of Atlantis' heat shield as has been done on the past two shuttle flights. Atlantis' time at the station could be extended by one or two days if needed to allow more time to complete those inspections or other operations. A second inspection of the heat shield is planned after Atlantis departs the station near the end of the flight to ensure it remains in good condition for landing. When Atlantis arrives at the station, it will mark only the second time that as many as four of the station's five international partners have been represented onboard. STS-115 is the 116th space shuttle mission and the 19th to visit the station. Atlantis is making its 27th flight and sixth trip to the station. Atlantis’ crew begins an eight-hour sleep period at 4:15 p.m. CDT. The astronauts will awaken at 12:15 a.m. CDT Sunday to begin their first full day in orbit. The next STS-115 status report will be issued shortly after crew wakeup, or earlier if events warrant.

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NASA's Shuttle Atlantis Begins Mission to the Space Station
by Arthur Rowe 09 Sep '06

09 Sep '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 > Sept. 9, 2006 > > Tracy Young/Allard Beutel > Kennedy Space Center, Fla. > 321-867-2468 > > > NASA'S SHUTTLE ATLANTIS BEGINS MISSION TO THE SPACE STATION > > The Space Shuttle Atlantis and its six-member crew are on their way to > the International Space Station after lifting-off from NASA's Kennedy > Space Center, Fla., at 11:14:55 a.m. EDT Saturday. > > "It's been almost four years, two Return to Flight missions, a > tremendous amount of work by thousands of individuals to get the > shuttle program back to where we are right now and that's on the > verge of restarting the station assembly sequence," said Atlantis' > Commander Brent Jett. "We're confident over the next few weeks, and > few years for that matter, that NASA's going to prove to our nation, > to our partners and our friends around the world that it was worth > the wait and the sacrifice. We're ready to get to work." > > The fuel cut-off sensor system, which malfunctioned and delayed > Atlantis' scheduled Friday launch, performed normally Saturday. The > engine cut-off, or ECO, sensor is one of four inside the liquid > hydrogen section of the shuttle's external fuel tank. > > Atlantis' flight, STS-115, will resume construction of the > International Space Station. The shuttle and station crews will work > with ground teams to install a girder-like structure, known as the > P3/P4 truss aboard the station. The 35,000-pound piece includes a set > of giant solar arrays, batteries and associated electronics. The > arrays eventually will double the station's power capability. > > Atlantis' crew includes Pilot Chris Ferguson and mission specialists > Dan Burbank, Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper, Joe Tanner and Steve MacLean, a > Canadian Space Agency astronaut. The shuttle is scheduled to dock > with the station on Monday. Once Atlantis arrives, a day could be > added to the 11-day mission for a focused inspection of the shuttle's > heat shield. > > For the latest information about the STS-115 mission and its crew, > visit: > > http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle > > > -end- > > > > >

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Liftoff! Atlantis is Space Station Bound
by Arthur Rowe 09 Sep '06

09 Sep '06

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 *Liftoff! Atlantis is Space Station Bound * / Sept. 9, 11:15 a.m. EDT (1515 UTC)/ Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off from Kennedy Space Center and charged into the midday Florida sky on a mission to boost power on the International Space Station. The launch was on time, with liftoff at 11:15 a.m. EDT. Over the 11-day mission, the six-member crew will perform three spacewalks to install the P3/P4 integrated truss and solar arrays on the station, doubling the current power generating capability of the orbiting outpost. NASA TV will carry a post-launch news conference at approximately one hour after liftoff. + Watch NASA TV <http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html>

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Atlantis In Final Hold of Countdown
by Arthur Rowe 09 Sep '06

09 Sep '06

SUBM.ITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468 *Atlantis In Final Hold of Countdown* / Sept. 9, 10:55 a.m. EDT / The countdown to launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis is currently in the final 40-minute "hold," freezing the clock at nine minutes to go. The hold gives the crew and controllers time to make any last minutes checks of the weather and vehicle functions before starting the final countdown to fire the space shuttle's engines. The clock will begin ticking again at 11:06 a.m. and signal the handover of the countdown from launch control to Atlantis' systems and a special computer called the Ground Launch Sequencer. Follow our live coverage today! + NASA's Launch Blog <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/sts-115/launch-vlcc.html> + NASA TV <http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html>

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