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
MISSION QUICK-LOOK
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.
IMAGES: PHOTO GALLERY
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Emblemat misji STS-117


Trwa odliczanie przed startem wahadłowca Atlantis. NASA ogłosiła, że start jest planowany na 8 czerwca na godzinę 19:38 czasu lokalnego. Prom ma wyruszyć z kosmodromu na przylądku Canaveral na Florydzie z Centrum Lotów Kosmicznych imienia Johna F. Kennedy'ego.

ISS przed misją STS-117
baterii słonecznych dorysowane komputerowo)

Celem misji wahadłowca Atlantis jest dostarczenie oraz instalacja dodatkowych 
ogniw słonecznych na Międzynarodową Stację Kosmiczną (ISS). Załoga wahadłowca spędzi na orbicie co najmniej 11 dni, w razie problemów założono możliwość przedłużenia misji o kilka dni.

Podczas misji astronauci zamontują na stacji panel baterii słonecznych. Dzięki temu będzie ona gotowa na przyjęcie i zasilanie prądem kolejnych modułów. Jedenastodniowa misja STS-117 ma być kolejną, podczas których do 2010 r. zakończona zostanie budowa stacji ISS rozpoczęta w 1998 roku. Po ukończeniu stacji wahadłowce zostaną wycofane z użytku. W 2014 r. zastąpią je pojazdy Orion, którymi NASA chce też polecieć na Księżyc i Marsa.

Do ukończenia budowy ISS brakuje jeszcze co najmniej 13 lotów wahadłowców. NASA planuje ukończyć konstrukcję bazy ISS zanim w 2010 r. trzy amerykańskie promy kosmiczne zostaną wycofane z użycia. Część komponentów stacji kosmicznej ISS jest zaprojektowana tak, że transportować mogą je jedynie aktualnie eksploatowane wahadłowce.