CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The orbiting Atlantis astronauts beamed a message from space Friday to the 11,000 athletes -- and 500,000 spectators -- gathered in Sydney, Australia for the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Look up!
"As the world gathers in Sydney over the next two weeks for the Games, theyll also have the opportunity to look up at the night sky and see third largest star in the sky -- the International Space Station," Atlantis pilot Scott Altman said a message videotaped inside the new outpost.
"Its an opportunity -- as the world gathers for the games to play together -- to also note that the world is now working together in space as we do research on the International Space Station, opening a new era in space for all humankind."Added shuttle skipper Terry Wilcutt: "From the international crew on board the International Space Station, wed like to wish all the international athletes good luck and Godspeed in your athletic endeavors."
A joint project of 16 nations on four continents, the $60 billion space station construction project mirrors the global nature of the Games. Athletes from 199 countries are competing in what many consider sports greatest spectacle.
Linked to the 13-story station some 237 miles (379 kilometers) above the planet, the shuttle and its international crew -- which includes five U.S. astronauts and two Russian cosmonauts -- cruised high above the glitzy opening ceremonies in a stadium packed to capacity with 110,000 people.
"We had some great views," Altman told flight directors in NASAs Mission Control Center in Houston. "We were looking down at Sydney, and waving to the folks down there, and sending all out best along to the opening ceremonies."
| Olympic View |
| Keep an eye on the 27th Olympiad by watching the games from space. Look here! | |
The astronauts also took time to send special greetings to the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team.
"As it turns out a number of us have a close connection with the sport of wrestling. Five of us competed in college, and all five of us later went on to become wrestling coaches," said Atlantis mission specialist Ed Lu.
"So we feel a close kinship with the sport of wrestling, and wed like to wish you all good luck in the Games in Sydney."
Atlantis and its crew are in the midst of outfitting the nascent station for its first full-time tenants, who will take up residence at the outpost in early November.
Now comprised of a Russian space tug, Russian-made crew quarters, an American docking module and a Russian cargo carrier, the 13-story station is brighter than all but the moon and Venus in the night sky.
The visiting Atlantis crew is due to depart the station late Sunday. Landing at Kennedy Space Center now is scheduled for 3:56 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (07:56 GMT) next Wednesday.
advertisement
