The Atlantis crew will transmit close-up photographs of the shuttle's exterior to Earth, and the engineers will examine them and try to locate damage.
Team members used the shuttle's robotic arm to examine its underside, nose dome and wingtips from the outside. The team also used cameras and equipment located on a 16-meter-long beam located below the boom to scan some of the hard-to-access areas on the shuttle's exterior. They finished this craft around ten at night Israel time.
The test is needed to see if any damage was done to the heat shield during the climb to orbit that began Thursday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Over the next few days, the engineers and flight controllers will analyze the data collected by the crew members, and decide if it is necessary to take any action for their safety.
The preparations for Saturday's activities included preparing the docking ring of the Atlantis shuttle and testing the tools that will be used for the meeting and connection between the shuttle and the station. Docking at the station is planned for 19:25 Israel time on Saturday. The astronauts are also supposed to test their spacesuits by then. The crew will use the suits during three planned spacewalks outside the space station.
The purpose of mission STS-122 is to install and prepare the European Space Agency's Columbus Research Laboratory for use. STS-122 also brings a new crew member to the station - ESA man Leopold Eharts, who will replace American Daniel Tanney as the 16th crew's flight engineer.
One response
Let's hope they succeed