STS-117 Mission Coverage
Station crew plans changed as shuttle repairs continue
Repairs to the shuttle Atlantis' hail-damaged external fuel tank are going relatively smoothly, with the first of two large-area foam sprays scheduled to begin as early as Sunday. While rollout to launch pad 39A has slipped several days to around May 15, NASA managers say a launch June 8 is still possible, although the schedule is very tight. Managers also approved a plan to bring space station astronaut Sunita Williams back to Earth aboard Atlantis.
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NASA rethinking Williams' departure from station
NASA managers are reassessing whether to leave astronaut Sunita Williams aboard the international space station until August, a longer-than-planned stay because of a shuttle launch delay, or to bring her home aboard the Atlantis when flights resume in June, sources say.
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NASA picks shuttle launch dates for next 12 months
Space shuttle program officials have affirmed a new launch schedule to accomplish six flights over the next 12 months that will expand the space station to include the international science laboratory modules.
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Atlantis to fly with repaired fuel tank around June 8
Launch of the shuttle Atlantis on a hail-delayed flight to the international space station is slipping to no earlier than June 8, officials said Tuesday, to give engineers more time to repair damaged foam insulation on the ship's external fuel tank.
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MASTER FLIGHT PLAN
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Shuttle propulsion system inspections ordered
With external tank repairs in high gear, NASA managers Thursday ordered removal of the shuttle Atlantis's three main engines for inspections to make sure no contamination is present in the ship's hydrogen fuel lines. While engineers are hopeful the work can be completed under the umbrella of external tank repairs, getting Atlantis off before its May launch window closes remains a major challenge.
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NASA holds off on making shuttle tank decision
NASA is pressing ahead with work to repair the shuttle Atlantis's hail-damaged external fuel tank in hopes of getting the orbiter off on a space station assembly mission before the current launch window closes in late May, officials said Wednesday.
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Hail-damaged shuttle fuel tank assessment continues
Senior NASA managers, including agency Administrator Mike Griffin, plan to meet late next week to assess the shuttle Atlantis's hail-damaged external tank, what will be needed to repair it and when the shuttle, originally scheduled for launch March 15, might be able to take off on a space station assembly mission.
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Safety analysis needed to clear shuttle's tank repairs
Amid ongoing inspections of the shuttle Atlantis' hail-damaged external fuel tank, engineers are optimistic they can make unprecedented repairs at the Kennedy Space Center, avoiding a lengthy launch delay to late June.
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Shuttle Atlantis rolls off launch pad for repairs
Battered by an intense hail storm six days earlier, space shuttle Atlantis retreated off launch pad 39A and returned to the cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building on Sunday to undergo thorough inspections and repairs.
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IMAGES: PHOTOS OF ROLLBACK
Hail storm damage grounds space shuttle Atlantis
A sudden, explosive thunderstorm Monday battered the shuttle Atlantis' external fuel tank with wind-driven, golf ball-sized hail, causing extensive damage to the tank's protective foam insulation. NASA managers said Tuesday engineers will have to move the shuttle back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for repairs, delaying launch on a space station assembly mission from March 15 to late April.
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EARLIER STORY
PAST SHUTTLE ROLLBACKS
IMAGES: PHOTOS OF HAIL DAMAGE
VIDEO: STS-117 COVERAGE
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Space shuttle Atlantis
rolls to the launch pad
Lumbering along with a top speed of one-mile-per-hour, space shuttle Atlantis emerged from Kennedy Space Center's mammoth Vehicle Assembly Building Thursday morning for the trek to the newly refurbished launch pad 39A.
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Shuttle Atlantis leaves hangar for upcoming launch
Space shuttle Atlantis emerged from its hangar at 6:19 a.m. EST Wednesday morning for the quarter-mile trip to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center's Complex 39. Atlantis will be joined to its external fuel tank and twin solid rockets inside the VAB before rolling out to launch pad 39A next week. Liftoff carrying a power module to the space station is targeted for March 15.
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Start promu Atlantis

Amerykański prom kosmiczny Atlantis z siedmioosobową załogą bezpiecznie wystartował, zgodnie z planem o godzinie 19:38 w piątek (1:38 w sobotę czasu polskiego) z Przylądka Canaveral na Florydzie ku Międzynarodowej Stacji Kosmicznej (ISS). Start odbył się w Centrum Lotów Kosmicznych imienia Johna F. Kennedy'ego. 

Wahadłowiec Atlantis dotrze do ISS w niedzielę ok. godz. 21.30 czasu polskiego.

Misją Atlantisa jest kontynuowanie programu budowy Międzynarodowej Stacji Kosmicznej, rozpoczętego w 1998, ale wstrzymanego po katastrofie Columbii. Siedmioosobowa załoga ma za zadanie zamontować panele słoneczne.

Celem misji Atlantisa jest dostarczenie i instalacja na ISS kolejnych elementów konstrukcji i czterech paneli ogniw słonecznych. Nastąpi również niewielka zmiana w składzie załogi stacji. 

Misja STS-117 jest 118. misją amerykańskiego programu lotów wahadłowców i 27. misją wahadłowca Atlantis. Astronauci spędzą na orbicie 11 dni, a jeden z nich Clayton Anderson dołączy do załogi Międzynarodowej Stacji Kosmicznej i zastąpi amerykańską astronautkę Sunitę Williams po jej półrocznym pobycie na ISS.

Astronauci sprawdzą podczas lotu, czy podczas piątkowego startu nie ucierpiała powłoka ochronna promu, aby wykryć wszystkie ewentualne uszkodzenia i dzięki temu uniknąć powtórzenia się tragedii siostrzanego promu Columbia. Wahadłowiec ten w 2003 roku rozpadł się podczas powrotu na Ziemię w wyniku awarii, zapoczątkowanej drobnym odpryskiem ceramicznej pianki ochronnej.