Atlantis Heads for Space Station
Posted on: Saturday, 9 September 2006, 18:00 CDT
The U.S. shuttle Atlantis was in orbit Saturday, heading for the International Space Station.
Commander Brent Jett and his five crew mates are scheduled to insert a new 17-ton segment of the station's truss backbone, and add a new set of giant solar panels and batteries to the complex, NASA said.
Three spacewalks are planned over the 11-day mission.
Earlier Saturday, Atlantis had a perfect launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
There was no immediate indication of damage to any part of the shuttle as it roared off the pad at the Kennedy Space Center, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said.
The new solar array is expected to double the station's power-generation capacity.
The launch had been scheduled Aug. 27; however, it was postponed until Friday after lightning struck the launch pad. Friday's launch was scrubbed less than 45 minutes before launch due to an apparent problem with a fuel-tank sensor.
Source: United Press International
Related Articles
- China Plans to Launch Space Station
- Russia Launches Space Station Rocket
- Russia: Launch of Next Crew to International Space Station Postponed
- Russian Launch of Next Crew to International Space Station Postponed
- Russia to launch resupply craft to space station on 29 January
- NASA Defends Space Station Launch Decision
- NASA defends launch decision for two space-station astronauts
- Expedition 8 Crew Set for Space Station Launch
- Official Says China Plans Space Station
- Expedition 7 Launches to Space Station
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds