SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

*Astronauts Entering Atlantis*

/ Sept. 9, 8:10 a.m. EDT (1210 UTC)/ The STS-115 crew members are now climbing into Atlantis' crew cabin. Four of the six astronauts will enjoy the view of today's launch from the cockpit, while the two remaining crew members are going to be seated below in the middeck. Once in place, the crew will begin powering up Atlantis' systems and getting the ship configured for launch.

NASA's Freedom Star and Liberty Star solid rocket booster retrieval ships are reported to be in position out in the Atlantic Ocean. The recovery ships are there to find and tow a space shuttle's spent solid rocket boosters back to Kennedy Space Center after they splash down in the ocean. The boosters will then be refurbished and used for another shuttle launch.

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