Atlantis docks on space station
In this image made from video provided by NASA, the Space Shuttle Atlantis is seen docked with the international space station in orbit, with the Earth seen above. The Associated Press
June 11, 2007
HOUSTON – The crews of Atlantis and the International Space Station greeted each other with hugs and handshakes Sunday after the space shuttle arrived at the orbiting outpost.
The shuttle’s two-day chase of the space station ended about 210 miles above southeastern Australia. It was the first visit this year by a shuttle to the space station. The shuttle was delivering Clayton Anderson, the newest member of the space station’s crew, as well as a new segment to the orbiting outpost.
But amid the smiles and salutations, questions remained unanswered about a section of peeled-back thermal blanket on the shuttle. Engineers continued to review photographs of the affected area to determine whether it could pose a problem when Atlantis returns to Earth next week.
Prior to Atlantis’ arrival, astronauts took additional photographs from inside the shuttle of the area where the thermal blanket had peeled back. The images were sent to Mission Control for analysis.
NASA engineers are focusing their attention on a gap about 4 inches by 6 inches that was discovered after Friday’s launch from Kennedy Space Center.
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Engineers weren’t sure whether stitching on the blanket came loose or whether the blanket, covering a pod of engines near the shuttle’s tail, was hit by debris during launch.
The rest of the vehicle appeared to be in fine shape, NASA said. Sensors reported six hits on the wing during launch but engineers were not concerned about them.
Astronauts inside the space station also took photographs of the shuttle’s belly when Atlantis was 600 feet below the orbiting outpost.
Engineers want to make sure there is no damage from launch like the kind that doomed Columbia in 2003.
Thermal blankets came unstitched during flights of Discovery in 2005 and 2006 with no problems, and thermal tiles were lost in the same area where the blanket is on Atlantis on two of the earliest shuttle flights.
The area does not get hotter than 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit during the shuttle’s re-entry, compared with other vehicle parts, where temperatures can reach 2,900 degrees Fahrenheit.
After the Columbia disaster, a shuttle repair kit is included in all shuttle missions.
