SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C 31468

Hail Damage Inspection Underway

Technicians secure protective material around external tank. Image above: On an upper level of high bay 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, technicians move protective material toward the nose cone of Atlantis' external tank. + View High-res Image + View Hail Damage to External Tank

Image above: On an upper level of high bay 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building, technicians move protective material toward the nose cone of Atlantis' external tank. + View High-res Image http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/170421main_cover.jpg + View Hail Damage to External Tank http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/multimedia/117_gallery-hail.html

03.08.07 Space Shuttle Atlantis was rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building from Launch Pad 39A due to hail damage to the tank during a severe thunderstorm that happened on Feb. 26.

Further evaluation of the tank is necessary to get an accurate accounting of foam damage and determine the type of repair required and the time needed for that work.

The hail caused approximately 1,000 to 2,000 divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the orbiter's left wing.

A new target launch date has not been determined, but teams will focus on preparing Atlantis for liftoff in late April.

Mission STS-117 to the International Space Station will be scheduled sometime after a Russian Soyuz spacecraft returns from the station. The Soyuz is delivering new station crew members and returning others to Earth in late April. Adequate time is needed between the Soyuz undocking and the shuttle's arrival to the station.

During the 11-day mission, the six-member crew will install a new truss segment, retract a set of solar arrays and unfold a new set on the starboard side of the station. Lessons learned from two previous missions will provide the astronauts with new techniques and tools to perform their duties.

Atlantis Commander Rick Sturckow, Pilot Lee Archambault and Mission Specialists Jim Reilly, Patrick Forrester, Steven Swanson and John "Danny" Olivas will continue training at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston as they await a new target launch date.

The STS-117 flight crew will return to Kennedy Space Center a few days before launch.

*STS-117 Mission* + The Crew http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts117/index.html

+ The Mission http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts117/mission_overview.html

+ The Integrated Truss Structure http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/its.html