Written by Derek Kessler on
Tuesday, 19 February 2008
After successfully installing the ESA's Columbus Laboartory on the International Space Station without a hitch, the crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis is on their way home. The shuttle is expected to land in Florida on Wednesday, and weather conditions are currently looking favorable for the landing. Coming back with the shuttle will be US astronaut Daniel Tani, who traded places with Leopold Eyharts after spending 120 consecutive days in space.
Inspections of Atlantis' heat shield revealed that it did not suffer any notable damage during lift-off. The crew completed another inspection today, verifying that the sensitive heat tiles were not damaged by anything they may have encountered in orbit. The shuttle's first landing window opens at 9:07 AM tomorrow at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. If the shuttle is unable to make that landing, there is another window later in the day and two landing opportunities at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Mission control wants to get Atlantis out of the air as soon as possible, as the US Navy is gearing up to shoot down a dead spy satellite on Wednesday. The Navy has said it will wait until Atlantis is safely on the ground, though NASA wants to give them as much lead time as possible leading up to the rocket launch.
After successfully installing the ESA's Columbus Laboartory on the International Space Station without a hitch, the crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis is on their way home. The shuttle is expected to land in Florida on Wednesday, and weather conditions are currently looking favorable for the landing. Coming back with the shuttle will be US astronaut Daniel Tani, who traded places with Leopold Eyharts after spending 120 consecutive days in space.
