SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

*ET-117 Arrived at Kennedy*

Image above: The barge carrying external tank 117 is maneuvered toward the dock by a tug boat in the turn basin of Kennedy's Launch Complex 39 area. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Phaller

TO VIEW IMAGE GO TO: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

+ View Hi-res Image http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/170421main_barge.jpg + View Hail Damage to External Tank http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/multimedia/117_gallery-hail.html

*04.06.07 * NASA's Pegasus barge with external fuel tank 117 aboard arrived at Kennedy Space Center today.

Shuttle program managers will meet on or about April 10 to decide whether to use ET-124 or substitute it with ET-117 for the STS-117 mission to the International Space Station.

Work continues to assess and repair hail damage to ET-124. Foam repairs on the liquid hydrogen tank, which is located on the bottom of the external tank, are complete and the focus is currently on repairs to the liquid oxygen tank.

Shuttle program managers decided this week to inspect Atlantis and Endeavour's main propulsion system for contamination after a small amount of material was found during routine post-flight inspections in one engine that flew on the STS-116 mission of Discovery in December 2006 and one engine that flew on the STS-121 mission of Discovery in July 2006.

The contaminant is a substance called RepliSet, which is a material used to make a mold of the flow liner surface. It is used to check for cracks and imperfections. The inspections can be accomplished within the time frame of the hail damage recovery effort, with no impact to the launch schedule for STS-117.

During the STS-117's 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.

*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