Atlantis Crew Makes Preparations for Arrival at International Space Station

The crew of the STS-117 made preparations Saturday for their anticipated arrival at the International Space Station. Crew member's preparations involved detailed safety checks of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, focusing on the Shuttle's heat shield, according to a press release on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's website.

The crew used the Shuttle's robotic arm to inspect parts of the heat shield that are normally difficult to reach. A potential problem was spotted with the port orbital maneuvering system pod when cameras used to inspect the heat shield recorded that the insulation blanket on the pod had retracted from nearby thermal tiles.

The tests are performed so crew members can discover any damage that may have occurred during the shuttle's lift-off from Kennedy Space Center, and the shuttle's subsequent orbital climb. The crew's data will be examined by flight specialists and engineers in the coming days.

According to NASA, the crew also prepared for Sunday's landing by extending Atlantis' docking ring, and inspecting the tools they will use to dock at the International Space Station.

The mission involves more than the crew simply delivering supplies and provisions to the Space Station; the mission also calls for the STS-117 crew members to make three space walks. Saturday's preparations also included examination of the space suits the crew members will wear during those planned space walks.During the space walks the crew will install the second and third truss segments on the Space Station. The crew will also help retract the Station's starboard array, according to NASA.

The mission's tasks represent a continuation of projects begun during the two previous STS missions. NASA is currently in a race against time in their effort to finish building the International Space Station and complete repairs to the Hubble telescope before the Space Shuttle program ends in 2010.