SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

*Station Gets New Truss Segment*

Jim Reilly during the June 11, 2007 spacewalkImage above: STS-117 Mission Specialist Jim Reilly during the mission's first spacewalk. Image credit: NASA TV

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

The International Space Station grew today when STS-117 and Expedition 15 crew members attached the Starboard 3 and 4 truss (S3/S4) segment. The new truss was attached at 2:28 p.m. EDT.

The S3/S4, which is 45 feet long and weighs 35,678 pounds, was attached to the end of the Starboard 1 truss segment by crew members using the station’s robotic arm. The S3/S4 contains a new set of solar arrays that will increase the station’s power-generation capabilities.

The STS-117 crew will conduct three spacewalks to activate the S3/S4. The first spacewalk began at 2002 UTC Monday and lasted until 0217 UTC The new solar arrays are slated to be deployed Tuesday.

Late Sunday, NASA Astronaut Clayton Anderson joined the Expedition 15 crew, replacing Flight Engineer Suni Williams. Anderson arrived at the station as a member of Space Shuttle Atlantis’ crew. Atlantis docked to the station at 1936 UTC Sunday.

He and Williams officially changed crews when his custom-made seat liner was swapped out in the Soyuz spacecraft docked to the station. Williams is wrapping up a six-month stay aboard the station. She will return to Earth on Atlantis, which is slated to undock June 19. Anderson is scheduled to leave the station this fall.

+ Read more about Expedition 15 http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition15/index.html + View crew daily timelines http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/timelines/index.html