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.