STS-115 Mission Updates: Part Two

by Space.com, staff

Date: 30 April 2007 Time: 04:59 AM ET

First Spacewalk Ends for Shuttle Astronauts
12 September 2006 11:46 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - With Atlantis spacewalkers Joseph Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper back inside the International Space Station's (ISS) Quest airlock, the outer hatch has been shut and repressurization is underway.

Hatch closure came at about 11:39 a.m. EDT (1539 GMT). The spacewalk ran about six hours and 26 minutes, just four minutes shy of its six and one-half hour estimate.

Today's spacewalk was the 70^th in support of ISS assembly and the 23^nd staged from the Quest airlock.

Click here for SPACE.com's preview of the STS-115 mission spacewalks. A wrap up of today's spacewalk will be posted to SPACE.com's homepage shortly.

NASA is broadcasting Atlantis' spacewalk activities via NASA TV. You are invited to follow the shuttle's progress using SPACE.com's NASA TV feed, which is available by clicking here or using the button at the left.

- Tariq Malik

Shuttle Spacewalkers Reenter ISS Airlock
12 September 2006 11:21 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - Atlantis shuttle astronauts Joseph Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper are reentering the International Space Station's (ISS) Quest airlock after completing all their assigned tasks for today's spacewalk.

The spacewalkers have passed the six-hour mark of today's planned 6.5-hour spacewalk.

Click here for SPACE.com's preview of the STS-115 mission spacewalks.

- Tariq Malik

One Solar Array Box Unlatched, Spacewalkers Clean Up
12 September 2006 11:06 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - With their spacewalk tasks complete, astronauts Joseph Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper are cleaning up their work sites outside the International Space Station (ISS) as mission controllers unlatched the first solar array blanket box positioned earlier today.

Tanner and Stefanyshyn-Piper accomplished all of their primary tasks and even squeezed in several others scheduled for their STS-115 crewmates tomorrow during today's 6.5-hour spacewalk.

They are now packing away their tools and arranging their tethers.

Meanwhile, NASA ISS flight controllers unlatched the forward solar array blanket box to prepare for the array's planned Thursday deployment.

Click here for SPACE.com's preview of the STS-115 mission spacewalks.

- Tariq Malik

Shuttle Spacewalkers Brace New ISS Hardware
12 September 2006 10:52 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - Shuttle spacewalkers Joseph Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper are finishing work to install extra braces and remove covers on hardware supporting a wheel-like Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ).

The tasks are likely to be the last for today's spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS).

Tanner is installing one final brace to strengthen the SARJ unit, which will eventually rotate several more trusses in addition to the Port 4 segment to keep ISS solar arrays facing Sun.

Stefanyshyn-Piper is completing work to remove thermal shrouds in the Port 3/Port 4 integrated truss segment, which their STS-115 crewmates delivered to the ISS on Monday.

Once those tasks are complete, the spacewalkers are expected to clean up their work sites.

Click here for SPACE.com's preview of the STS-115 mission spacewalks.

- Tariq Malik

Bolt Escapes From Spacewalker Outside ISS
12 September 2006 10:28 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - Astronaut Joseph Tanner has reported that a bolt, spring and washer have popped free and escaped his grasp as he removed a thermal cover from equipment on the International Space Station's (ISS) new Port 3/Port 4 integrated trusses.

Tanner was removing a launch lock that secured the two joined trusses' Solar Alpha Rotary Joint when the bolt escaped.

"It was breezing across the surface of structure," said Tanner of bolt and spring to mission controllers, who will track the lost items to make sure they don't pose a threat to station hardware. "I suspect this might happen again...those springs are pretty nippy."

Tanner and Stefanyshyn-Piper have passed the five-hour mark of their planned 6.5-hour spacewalk. They are now performing extra tasks originally scheduled for a Wednesday spacewalk.

Click here for SPACE.com's preview of the STS-115 mission spacewalks.

- Tariq Malik

Spacewalkers Complete Most ISS Construction Tasks
12 September 2006 9:51 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - Spacewalkers Joseph Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper have completed just about all of their primary tasks for today's spacewalk, less than five hours into their 6.5-hour activity outside the International Space Station, NASA commentator Kylie Clem reported.

The two astronauts are now pushing ahead with chores scheduled for a Wednesday spacewalk - to be performed by their STS-115 crewmates Daniel Burbank and Steven MacLean - to make the most of their extra time.

Tanner removed a thermal cover for one of many electrical boxes on the new Port 3/Port 4 trusses his crewmates delivered to the ISS. Stefanyshyn-Piper will work on a set of spring-loaded clamps on one segment and install additional support beams. Both astronauts will remove launch locks - one a piece - from a wheel-like joint that will rotate the outboard Port 4 truss to track the Sun in the future.

Click here for SPACE.com's preview of the STS-115 mission spacewalks.

- Tariq Malik

Power Reaches New Station Hardware in Spacewalk
12 September 2006 9:38 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - Mission controllers have told two spacewalkers toiling outside the International Space Station (ISS) that power lines are in place for the motors of a car-sized joint that will turn outboard trusses and solar arrays to track the Sun in the future.

Spacewalkers Joseph Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper are still ahead of scheduled in their planned 6.5-hour spacewalk, which began at 5:17 a.m. EDT (0917 GMT).

They are completing work on drive lock assemblies, motors for the wheel-like Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) that on the station's Port 3 truss, which was installed with its accompanying segment Port 4 this morning.

Click here for SPACE.com's preview of the STS-115 mission spacewalks.

- Tariq Malik

Spacewalkers Zoom Through Orbital Construction
12 September 2006 9:12 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - Now approaching the four-hour mark, spacewalkers Joseph Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper remain one hour ahead of schedule as they work outside the International Space Station (ISS).

The two STS-115 astronauts are outfitting the station's new Port 3/Port 4 (P3/P4) integrated truss with power cables and primed its solar arrays for deployment later in their 11-day mission.

Tanner and Stefanyshyn-Piper are now set to work together to replace covers on equipment supporting a car-sized joint that will rotate the outboard P4 truss and its solar arrays to track the Sun once they're fully activated.

Click here for SPACE.com's preview of the STS-115 mission spacewalks.

- Tariq Malik

Shuttle Astronaut Gets Ahead in Spacewalk
12 September 2006 8:50 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - Well ahead of schedule in today's extravehicular activity, lead spacewalker Joseph Tanner is performing an extra task originally set for a later STS-115 outing.

Tanner is removing what NASA engineers call a circuit interrupt device atop the station's Z1 truss, which stems from the outpost's Unity module. The task was originally scheduled for the third STS-115 spacewalk, NASA officials said.

Meanwhile, Tanner's spacewalking partner Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper is installing a drive lock assembly on the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ), which will allow the wheel-like device to turn outboard station segments to track the Sun.

Tanner and Stefanyshyn-Piper will also conduct the STS-115 mission's third spacewalk.

Click here for SPACE.com's preview of the STS-115 mission spacewalks.

- Tariq Malik

Three Hours in, Spacewalk Goes Smoothly
12 September 2006 8:24 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - The first spacewalk of NASA's STS-115 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) continues to go smoothly as astronauts Joseph Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper work outside the orbital laboratory.

Tanner has completed linking up a set of power cables to serve as a lifeline between the ISS and its new Port 3/Port 4 (P3/P4) truss segments.

"Wow, I need a break," Tanner said.

Stefanyshyn-Piper is sliding a series of support struts into place as well.

The two spacewalkers have been consistently ahead of schedule during today's planned 6.5-hour spacewalk. Clad in NASA spacesuits, the two astronauts stepped outside the station's Quest airlock at about 5:17 a.m. EDT (0917 GMT).

"The team is working hard to keep up with you guys," astronaut Pam Melroy, serving as spacecraft communicator, told the STS-115 crew.

Click here for SPACE.com's preview of the STS-115 mission spacewalks.

- Tariq Malik

Astronauts Work on New Truss Segment's Midpoint
12 September 2006 7:58 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - Spacewalkers Joseph Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper have both moved to the midpoint between the International Space Station's (ISS) new Port 3/Port 4 (P3/P4) truss segments after readying the structures solar arrays for future deployment.

Tanner has completed the installation of several drive locks that will allow a wheel-like joint to turn the entire P4 truss so its solar arrays can track the Sun later this year. He is now moving to connect more power lines between the P3 truss and ISS.

Stefanyshyn-Piper continues to shift a set of support struts into place to strengthen the structure.

The astronauts are about one hour and 45 minutes ahead of schedule in today's planned 6.5-hour spacewalk.

Click here for SPACE.com's preview of the STS-115 mission spacewalks.

- Tariq Malik

Spacewalkers Position New ISS Solar Arrays
12 September 2006 7:29 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - Shuttle astronauts Joseph Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper have completed work to swing out boxes and canisters holding the tightly-packed solar arrays on the portside end of the International Space Station (ISS).

Tanner has moved back to the midpoint between the newly delivered Port 3 (P3) and Port 4 (P4) trusses to work on its Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ). He and Stefanyshyn-Piper are expected to install a series of drive locks that will ultimately allow the SARJ to rotate the entire P4 truss to track the Sun once its solar wings are deployed.

Stefanyshyn-Piper will install a set struts to strengthen the newly delivered truss segments.

Click here for SPACE.com's preview of the STS-115 mission spacewalks.

- Tariq Malik

Spacewalkers Swing Out Solar Array Mast Drums
12 September 2006 7:09 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - Spacewalkers Joseph Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper are working to swing out the solar array boxes that contain new power-generating wings for the International Space Station (ISS) as they toil at the end of the outpost's port side.

Tanner and Stefanyshyn-Piper are completing work to deploy a pair of cylindrical drums - containing the pop-up masts that support the new solar arrays - as they work ahead of schedule in today's 6.5-hour spacewalk.

"Boy this thing moves, I'd forgot," Tanner said of one of the two solar array mast cylinders, which are larger than a phone booth.

Stefanyshyn-Piper is working to fully deploy the second cylinder assembly and has asked for Tanner's help.

Tanner helped install the space station's first U.S. solar arrays on the Port 6 (P6) truss in late 2000. He and Stefanyshyn-Piper on working on the station's new Port 3/Port 4 (P3/P4) segment delivered Monday by their shuttle Atlantis.

Tanner is also pressing ahead to work on the P3/P4's Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ), a wheel-like joint that will allow the entire P4 truss to rotate 360 degrees to track the Sun. The SARJ unit is the first of its kind ever hauled to the ISS.

Click here for SPACE.com's preview of the STS-115 mission spacewalks.

- Tariq Malik

Shuttle Spacewalkers Ahead of Schedule
12 September 2006 6:45 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - Astronaut Daniel Burbank has told his spacewalking colleagues Joseph Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper that they are well ahead of schedule by about 45 minutes as they work outside the International Space Station (ISS).

"I can't believe this, I'm working on a solar array at night, again," said Tanner, who helped deliver the station's first solar arrays during his STS-97 spaceflight in 2000.

"That's what you get for working so fast," Burbank said.

So far, Tanner and Stefanyshyn-Piper have connected a series of power and data cables between the station and its new Port 3/Port 4 truss segment and released launch restraints on the structure's solar array boxes and gimbal assemblies.

Everything is going smoothly for the highly trained spacewalking team.

Click here for SPACE.com's preview of the STS-115 mission spacewalks.

- Tariq Malik

Spacewalkers Hail Atlantis Shuttle's Health
12 September 2006 6:22 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - Spacewalkers Joseph Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper lauded the news that their Atlantis shuttle appears to be in good health and will not need additional heat shield inspections.

"That's wonderful, that means we've got a good vehicle," Tanner said, while he and Stefanyshyn-Piper worked 218 statute miles above Earth outside the International Space Station (ISS).

Engineers decided Monday that focused inspections of Atlantis would not be needed.

Tanner and Stefanyshyn-Piper are about one hour into today's planned 6.5-hour spacewalk to wire up the newly delivered Port 3/Port 4 (P3/P4) trusses with power and data lines.

Tanner successfully connected the first six of those cables while Stefanyshyn-Piper freed restraints on the four solar array blanket boxes - two for each array - that house the folded up solar panels to be deployed later this week. Tanner is removing similar restraints on a gimbal assembly that will allow the arrays to turn once deployed.

"Somebody stick your head in the window so I can say hi," Tanner said to his fellow STS-115 astronauts inside the ISS.

Tanner is making his sixth spacewalk while Stefanyshyn-Piper is making her orbital debut.

Click here for SPACE.com's preview of the STS-115 mission spacewalks.

- Tariq Malik

New Truss Wiring Underway, Solar Arrays Unlocked
12 September 2006 6:09 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - In her spacewalk debut, shuttle astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper is removing a series of restraints that secured two solar arrays to their Port 4 (P4) truss home during its launch towards the International Space Station (ISS).

"Wow, that's a nice view," Stefanyshyn-Piper said of the Earth.

Stefanyshyn-Piper's spacewalking partner, veteran orbital worker Joseph Tanner, has completed connecting six data and power cables between the newly installed Port 3 (P3) truss and its Port 1 (P1) segment mooring port.

Tanner, Stefanyshyn-Piper and their STS-115 crewmates delivered the integrated P3/P4 segment to the ISS Monday after docking at the orbital laboratory. The truss elements were then mated to the end of the P1 truss early today.

Click here for SPACE.com's preview of the STS-115 mission spacewalks.

- Tariq Malik

Spacewalkers Head to New ISS Truss Work Site
12 September 2006 5:49 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - Less than 30 minutes into today's spacewalk, Atlantis shuttle astronauts Joseph Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper are headed to the end of the newly installed Port 3/Port 4 (P3/P4) trusses for their first major tasks.

Tanner is tacking the connection of power and data cables between the station's Port 1 (P1) truss and P3 segment. Meanwhile, Stefanyshyn-Piper headed to the end of the 45.3-foot (13-meter) integrated Port 3/Port 4 segment, where she will release launch restraints on the two solar array blanket boxes holding folded solar panels.

Click here for SPACE.com's preview of the STS-115 mission spacewalks.

- Tariq Malik

Shuttle Astronauts Begin ISS Spacewalk
12 September 2006 5:29 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - The first spacewalk of NASA's STS-115 mission is underway as Atlantis shuttle astronauts Joseph Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper stepped outside International Space Station (ISS).

The spacewalk officially began at 5:17 a.m. EDT (0917 GMT), NASA said, and is expected to run about 6.5 hours as Tanner and Stefanyshyn-Piper connect power lines to the newly installed P3/P4 truss.

"Welcome to space," veteran spacewalker Tanner told Stefanyshyn-Piper, who is making her spacewalk debut during STS-115.

- Tariq Malik

Spacewalkers Open ISS Airlock Hatch
12 September 2006 5:19 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - Spacewalkers Joseph Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper have opened the outer hatch of the Quest airlock aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and are preparing to begin their mission's first spacewalk.

Hatch opening came at about 5:15 a.m. EDT (0915 GMT).

"The hatch is open," Tanner said. "And there's a shuttle out there."

Tanner and Stefanyshyn-Piper are set to connect a series of crucial power lines to the Port 3/Port 4 truss segment which was successfully mated to the end of the station's Port 1 truss earlier today.

All four motorized bolts are now firmly holding the linked trusses in place.

- Tariq Malik

Atlantis Spacewalkers Depressurize ISS Airlock
12 September 2006 4:56 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - With the Port 3/Port 4 truss segment firmly attached to the International Space Station (ISS), STS-115 spacewalkers Joseph Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper are depressurizing the outpost's airlock to connect vital power cables.

P3./P4 is now a permanent part of the ISS and has raised the orbital laboratory's mass from 432,000 pounds (195,951 kilograms) to 467,000 (211,827 kilograms), NASA officials said.

Tanner and Stefanyshyn-Piper are conducting the first of three planned spacewalks for their STS-115 mission. They will connect 13 vital cables to provide power and data to the P3 truss, and then move the swing-out boxes and canisters containing two, 120-foot solar arrays into place later today.

The astronauts are expected to step outside the Quest airlock hatch at 5:15 a.m. EDT (0915 GMT) in NASA spacesuits, with Tanner's marked with a red stripe and Stefanyshyn-Piper's a spotless all-white.

- Tariq Malik

New Trusses Attached to ISS
12 September 2006 4:35 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - A 17.5-ton set of new trusses and solar arrays has a firm grasp on the International Space Station (ISS), a critical move before today's spacewalk begins.

STS-115 mission specialist Steven MacLean and ISS Expedition 13 flight engineer Jeffrey Williams have partially attached the Port 3/Port 4 integrated truss to the port end of the station's main girder using the station's robotic arm. Three of four motorized bolts have secured bit into their sockets to take a firm hold on the ISS.

The 35,000-pound (15,875-kilogram) P3/P4 truss is the first new segment to be added to the ISS since its connection point - the Port 1 (P1) truss - arrived in November 2002.

At the end of P4, a set of boxes and cylindrical drums house the folded up solar arrays and mast that will provided more power to the ISS once activated in December.

Three securing bolts are required to be in place before STS-115 spacewalkers Joseph Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper venture outside the ISS today at 5:15 a.m. EDT (0915 GMT) to begin connecting 13 umbilical cables to the new truss segment.

- Tariq Malik

Shuttle Astronauts Deliver ISS Trusses, Prepare for Bed
11 September 2006 3:35 p.m. EDT

HOUSTON - Nine astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and Atlantis orbiter are preparing to hit the sack after a busy day of joint operations.

Atlantis' six-astronaut STS-115 crew, which docked at the station and delivered the massive 17.5-ton Port 3/Port 4 (P3/P4) trusses and solar arrays this morning, are set to go to sleep at about 4:15 p.m. EDT (2015 GMT). But they won't all gather together.

While STS-115 commander Brent Jett, pilot Chris Ferguson and mission specialists Daniel Burbank and Steven MacLean return to sleeping bags aboard Atlantis, spacewalkers Joseph Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper have locked themselves in the space station's Quest airlock.

The two spacewalkers will sleep at a lower pressure and breathe pure oxygen during the night, which will help purge their bodies of nitrogen to prevent the bends while they perform a 6.5-hour spacewalk Tuesday. Known as a spacewalk campout, the procedure is being used for the first time tonight.

Meanwhile, the three-astronaut Expedition 13 team of Pavel Vinogradov, Jeffrey Williams and Thomas Reiter aboard the ISS will retire by about 3:45 p.m. EDT (1945 GMT) after a long day of welcoming visitors, showing them the ropes and receiving the new truss segments.

NASA is broadcasting Atlantis' docked mission via NASA TV. You are invited to follow the shuttle's progress using SPACE.com's NASA TV feed, which is available by clicking here or using the button at the left.

- Tariq Malik

Atlantis Astronauts Receive Warm ISS Welcome
11 September 2006 8:35 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - The six astronauts of NASA's STS-115 mission aboard Atlantis received a hearty welcome from three spaceflyers aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as they entered the orbital laboratory at 8:30 a.m. EDT (1230 GMT).

Hatch opening appears to have been delayed by extended leak checks, NASA spokesperson Bill Jeffs told SPACE.com.

But that delay did not appear to damper the spirits of either spacecraft crew. They traded smiles and handshakes as the Atlantis crew floated into the station's Destiny laboratory. A safety briefing is among their first activities for what is now a joint-crew mission.

Click here for SPACE.com's wrap up of today's shuttle docking at the ISS.

- Tariq Malik

Shuttle Crew Primes Robotic Arm to Deliver Cargo
11 September 2006 8:24 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - As the six-astronaut crew of the space shuttle Atlantis prepares to enter the International Space Station, mission specialist Daniel Burbank is using the orbiter's robotic arm to grapple a 17.5-ton set of trusses and solar arrays in the cargo bay.

The move is part of a time-saving effort to position the $372 million Port 3/Port4 trusses and solar panels within arm's reach of the station's own robotic arm. Atlantis astronaut Steven MacLean will use the station's arm - the first time a Canadian has guided the Canadian-built ISS appendage - to grab the trusses later today and prepare them for a Tuesday installation.

Meanwhile, Atlantis' STS-115 crew continues to prepare to enter the ISS. Mission specialist Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper reported an errant monitor was acting up, but the simple fix of merely switching it on and off a few times appears to have cleared the glitch, NASA officials said.

NASA is broadcasting Atlantis' ISS docking operations via NASA TV. You are invited to follow the shuttle's progress using SPACE.com's NASA TV feed, which is available by clicking here or using the button at the left.

- Tariq Malik

Shuttle Astronauts, ISS Crew Prepare for Orbital Hello
11 September 2006 8:05 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - Nine astronauts are preparing to greet each other in person as they complete final preparations to open the hatches between their two spacecraft.

Three astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and six others aboard the shuttle Atlantis will meet after today's successful orbital docking.

Atlantis docked at the ISS at 6:48 a.m. EDT (1048 GMT). A few last leak checks are complete, and the shuttle crew will now equalize the pressure and open their hatch.

- Tariq Malik

Leak Checks Complete on Shuttle Atlantis
11 September 2006 7:30 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - Atlantis astronaut Joseph Tanner has reported that leak checks of the seal between the shuttle and the International Space Station (ISS) are complete.

The shuttle's STS-115 crew is now preparing to open the hatch that separates their spacecraft from three waiting astronauts aboard the ISS.

Atlantis docked at the ISS at 6:48 a.m. EDT (1048 GMT). Hatch opening between the two orbital vehicles is set for 7:52 a.m. EDT (1152 GMT), with a welcoming ceremony slated for 8:20 a.m. EDT (1220 GMT).

Aboard the ISS are long-duration astronauts Pavel Vinogradov (Russia's Federal Space Agency), Jeffrey Williams (NASA) and Thomas Reiter (European Space Agency).

In addition to Tanner, STS-115 commander Brent Jett, pilot Chris Ferguson and mission specialists Daniel Burbank, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Steven MacLean are aboard Atlantis.

- Tariq Malik

ISS Takes Firm Hold of Shuttle Atlantis
11 September 2006 7:09 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - The International Space Station is taking a firm hold of NASA's space shuttle Atlantis after hooks and latches sealed the two spacecraft together. Atlantis docked at the ISS at 6:48 a.m. EDT (1048 GMT).

Aboard the ISS, Expedition 13 flight engineer Jeffrey Williams has reported that the inner chamber of Atlantis' docking port reached its proper pressure to allow the shuttle's six-astronaut crew to enter the space station.

Atlantis is docked at what's called a pressurized mating adapter, a sort of vestibule with two hatches - one on the shuttle side and the other on the ISS - to bridge the two spacecraft.

Williams reported that leak checks - to ensure a proper seal between Atlantis and the ISS - on the station side are complete and has been given a go to open the docking port's inner hatch. Leak checks are just beginning aboard Atlantis.

NASA's Atlantis shuttle has at the International Space Station, where he and his STS-115 crewmates will spend the next week installing a new addition to the orbital outpost.

NASA is broadcasting Atlantis' ISS docking live via NASA TV. You are invited to follow the shuttle's progress using SPACE.com's NASA TV feed, which is available by clicking here or using the button at the left.

- Tariq Malik

Orbital Arrival: Shuttle Atlantis Docks at ISS
11 September 2006 6:51 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON - Shuttle commander Brent Jett has deftly docked NASA's Atlantis orbiter at the International Space Station, where he and his STS-115 crewmates will spend the next week installing a new addition to the orbital outpost.

Docking came at 6:48 a.m. EDT (1048 GMT) after an apparently flawless approach and a two-day spaceflight that began with a Saturday launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Riding aboard Atlantis alongside Jett are pilot Chris Ferguson and mission specialists Joseph Tanner, Daniel Burbank, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Steven MacLean.

The six astronauts are hauling a $371.8 million pair of massive truss segments and two wing-like solar arrays, which they will install to the station's port side this week. vAtlantis' arrival marks the first time the orbiter has reached the ISS since October 2002 during NASA's last ISS construction mission.

- Tariq Malik

Shuttle Atlantis Inches Toward ISS Docking
11 September 2006 6:36 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON. - NASA's space shuttle Atlantis is inching ever-closer to the International Space Station (ISS) and is now within 100 feet of the 200-ton orbital research laboratory.

STS-115 shuttle commander Brent Jett is putting Atlantis through a series of delicate maneuvers to ease the 100-ton spacecraft towards its intended docking port. Docking is set for 6:46 a.m. EDT (1046 GMT), and is expected to occur as Atlantis and the ISS fly 218 statute miles above the southern Pacific Ocean.

- Tariq Malik

Shuttle Atlantis Go to Dock at ISS
11 September 2006 6:18 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON. - The space shuttle Atlantis has closed to within 207 feet from the International Space Station (ISS), with flight controllers giving the go ahead to dock at the orbital outpost.

Shuttle commander Brent Jett is maneuvering Atlantis' ISS approach to a point 30 feet away from the shuttle's planned docking point a delicate rate of about one-tenth of a foot per second.

- Tariq Malik

Atlantis Shuttle Crew Close in on ISS
11 September 2006 6:08 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON. - The space shuttle Atlantis is now less than 400 feet from the International Space Station (ISS).

Shuttle commander Brent Jett is guiding Atlantis to a point about 30 feet from the Pressurized Mating Adapter-2 (PMA-2), a shuttle docking port at the end of NASA's Destiny laboratory at the ISS, NASA officials said. Jett should reach his target point in about 15 minutes.

Atlantis remains on track to dock at the ISS at about 6:46 a.m. EDT (1046 GMT). ISS flight controllers have given the shuttle a go to proceed with today's orbital rendezvous.

- Tariq Malik

Shuttle Atlantis Completes Orbital Flip
11 September 2006 5:54 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON. - The space shuttle Atlantis has completed its orbital ballet after executing a 360-degree flip outside the International Space Station (ISS).

Shuttle commander Brent Jett will now fly Atlantis from its current position - 600 feet directly below the ISS - to a spot just ahead of the orbital laboratory, known as the V-bar.

"It does provide some good footage," Jett said of Atlantis' orbital backflip in a NASA interview. "But from a flying standpoint, it's not really any more difficult than any other type flying we do for rendezvous."

During Atlantis' rotational pitch maneuver, ISS astronauts photographed the shuttle's fragile heat shield tiles. The images will be analyzed on Earth over the next few days.

- Tariq Malik

Atlantis Shuttle Begins Orbital Backflip at ISS
11 September 2006 5:39 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON. - Atlantis shuttle commander Brent Jett has initiated the start of the spacecraft's Rotational Pitch Maneuver, a 360-degree flip just 600 feet below the International Space Station (ISS).

The eight-minute maneuver will give astronauts aboard the ISS a clear view of Atlantis' tile-lined heat shield, which they will photograph for image analysts on Earth to study.

Atlantis is set to dock at the ISS at 6:46 a.m. EDT (1046 GMT).

- Tariq Malik

Shuttle Atlantis Fires Thrusters for ISS Rendezvous
11 September 2006 5:28 a.m. EDT

HOUSTON. - NASA's space shuttle Atlantis has fired its thrusters in the fourth - and last - planned midcourse correction maneuver before reaching the International Space Station (ISS).

The thruster burn occurred at about 5:23 a.m. EDT (0923 GMT) as Atlantis closed within 1,600 feet of ISS as both spacecraft flew high above the southern Pacific Ocean. Shuttle commander Brent Jett is taking manual control of Atlantis for final docking activities.

Atlantis is hauling two new trusses and a pair of solar arrays - weighing about 35,000 pounds in all - to the ISS, where they will be installed and activated with the help of three spacewalks.

Cameras board both Atlantis and the ISS are returning images of one another as they fly in formation. The shuttle is just over 45 minutes from initiating its orbital backflip - the Rotational Pitch Maneuver.

Docking is still set for 6:46 a.m. EDT (1046 GMT).

NASA is broadcasting Atlantis' ISS docking live via NASA TV. You are invited to follow the shuttle's progress using SPACE.com's NASA TV feed, which is available by clicking here or using the