Written by Derek Kessler on
Saturday, 01 December 2007
Coming just a month after the launch of the last space shuttle, NASA has approved the planned December 6th launch for the Space Shuttle Atlantis. Commanded by veteran astronaut Stephen Frick, Atlantis will carry the ESA's Columbus Laboratory to the International Space Station as part of an 11-day mission to install the new orbital lab, replace hardware aboard the station, and swap out a crewmember.
The planned construction work constitutes three spacewalks, though if Atlantis is able to conserve enough power, NASA may extend the mission by two days to add in a fourth spacewalk to examine a large solar panel wing rotary joint that was discovered to be possibly grinding and creating metal shavings during Discovery's mission to the station last month. Atlantis will also swap out ESA astronaut Léopold Eyharts from France for current ISS Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Daniel Tani. Tani, who arrived on the ISS with the STS-120 Discovery mission, will return to Earth with the Atlantis crew.
Coming just a month after the launch of the last space shuttle, NASA has approved the planned December 6th launch for the Space Shuttle Atlantis. Commanded by veteran astronaut Stephen Frick, Atlantis will carry the ESA's Columbus Laboratory to the International Space Station as part of an 11-day mission to install the new orbital lab, replace hardware aboard the station, and swap out a crewmember.
