Tanner and Piper will spend a final night in the Quest airlock module prior to a third and final spacewalk on flight day seven (Sept. 2). The goals of the excursion are to wrap up final work to ready P3/P4 for operation, to repair the space station's S-band antenna system, to install a thermal blanket around electronics used by the station's high-speed KU-band antenna system and to retrieve a space exposure experiment.

The astronauts also will stow additional keel pins and other items to clear the path of the mobile transporter, which creeps along rails along the front side of the main solar array truss. The mobile transporter can lock itself down at various work sites to provide a stable work platform for Canadarm 2. With the addition of P3/P4, a new work site - WS-8 - will be available to permit the attachment of the P5 spacer truss in December.

DATE/EDT.......DD...HH...MM...EVENT

09/02/06
Sat 05:30 AM...05...13...00...STS/ISS crew wakeup
Sat 06:00 AM...05...13...30...EVA-3: Hygiene break/pre-breathe
Sat 06:15 AM...05...13...45...EVA-3: Crew lock repress
Sat 06:45 AM...05...14...15...EVA-3: Crew lock depress to 10.2 psi
Sat 07:20 AM...05...14...50...EVA-3: Campout EVA prep
Sat 08:50 AM...05...16...20...EVA-3: EMU purge
Sat 09:05 AM...05...16...35...EVA-3: EMU pre-breathe
Sat 09:55 AM...05...17...25...EVA-3: Crew lock depressurization
Sat 10:30 AM...05...18...00...EVA-3: Airlock egress/setup
Sat 10:45 AM...05...18...15...EVA-3: EV1: EVA-P6 BGA installation
Sat 10:45 AM...05...18...15...EVA-3: EV2: S-band sub assembly antenna R&R prep
Sat 11:15 AM...05...18...45...EVA-3: EV2: Release CNCH/WNCH
Sat 11:40 AM...05...19...10...EVA-3: EV1: Release CNCH/WNCH
Sat 12:05 PM...05...19...35...PV radiator deploy (CDR, PLT)
Sat 12:05 PM...05...19...35...EVA-3: Remove and stow P3 keel pin
Sat 12:50 PM...05...20...20...EVA-3: P3 cleanup
Sat 01:35 PM...05...21...05...EVA-3: SASA R&R
Sat 03:25 PM...05...22...55...EVA-3: EV2: S-band BSP and transponder R&R
Sat 03:35 PM...05...23...05...EVA-3: EV1: S-band gimbal installation
Sat 03:55 PM...05...23...25...EVA-3: EV1: MISSE 5
Sat 04:30 PM...06...00...00...EVA-3: Cleanup
Sat 04:50 PM...06...00...20...EVA-3: Airlock ingress
Sat 04:55 PM...06...00...25...EVA-3: Airlock repressurization
Sat 05:05 PM...06...00...35...Post-EVA spacesuit servicing
Sat 07:00 PM...06...02...30...BSA init
Sat 09:00 PM...06...04...30...ISS crew sleep begins
Sat 09:30 PM...06...05...00...STS crew sleep begins

If Burbank and MacLean are unable to complete installation of all the stiffener beams, "then we can do that on EVA 3 as well," Tanner said. "On P4 we have two activities. One to prepare the radiator for deploy, and then loosen some bolts on an MMOD (micrometeoroid orbital debris) cover. That's kind of a get-ahead, but we'll probably do that as well, and then relocate some foot restraints for 12A.1."

Tanner and Piper also will test an infrared camera under development as a diagnostic tool that could help future crews spot damage to the shuttle's wing leading edge panels.

"If everything that we have planned right now ends up on the plate for EVA 3, it'll take two-and-a-half or three hours probably, of activity. Then we say goodbye to P3/P4 and bring all of our tools back in and our tethers and start to work on changing out some things on S1, some tool boxes and the S-band transponder and a signal processor in the S-band communication system."

"Heide will be working on an electronic instrumentations antenna on the lab and I'll be heading up to the top of P6 to take care of some unfinished business up there from STS-97, on one balky latch up there, and then putting some clips on some bolts and finally bringing down a science experiment known as MISSE-5. I'll be up on the top for 45 minutes or so and Heide and I will really be separated. And then we join back up again and finish up probably a six, six-and--a-half hour EVA and then head back in."

If all goes well, the astronauts will get a day off the next day, holding a joint crew news conference, posing for a traditional crew photo and enjoying a joint meal with their space station colleagues while wrapping up a few final equipment transfers.

DATE/EDT.......DD...HH...MM...EVENT

09/03/06
Sun 05:30 AM...06...13...00...STS/ISS crew wakeup
Sun 08:30 AM...06...16...00...STS crew off duty time begins
Sun 12:30 PM...06...20...00...Joint crew photo
Sun 12:50 PM...06...20...20...Joint crew news conference
Sun 01:25 PM...06...20...55...Joint crew meal
Sun 02:35 PM...06...22...05...PAO event (STS CDR, MS1, MS2, MS3, MS4)
Sun 02:25 PM...06...21...55...Transfers continue
Sun 03:30 PM...06...23...00...EVA prep for shuttle transfer
Sun 06:35 PM...07...02...05...Transfer tagup
Sun 09:00 PM...07...04...30...ISS crew sleep begins
Sun 09:30 PM...07...05...00...STS crew sleep begins

"For the late inspections, they did part of it docked, they did the port wing docked and based on their debrief with us post flight, that turned out to be much more difficult than they thought it was going to be," Jett said. "So based on their comments to us and our discussions with our flight directors, we decided to move the undock up about a half a day.

"We were going to do undock the morning of flight day 10, we moved it up to the afternoon of flight day nine. On flight day 10, we will repeat the RCC inspection that we did on flight day two. The same clearance views, the same procedures. Their experience told us doing that the second time, they were much more efficient at it, it went very smoothly as opposed to the docked inspection. That took a lot more time. ... We think that will help us late in the timeline."

The shuttle-station astronauts will enjoy a final joint meal the morning of Sept. 4 - flight day nine - before closing hatches between Atlantis and the station. Undocking is expected around 2:30 p.m. With Ferguson at the controls, Atlantis will pull directly away from the lab complex, moving to a point about 400 feet in front of the outpost before beginning a slow fly around.

DATE/EDT.......DD...HH...MM...EVENT

09/04/06
Mon 05:30 AM...07...13...00...STS/ISS crew wakeup
Mon 07:45 AM...07...15...15...Transfers resume
Mon 08:40 AM...07...16...10...Rendezvous tools checkout
Mon 09:45 AM...07...17...15...O2 transfer hardware tear down
Mon 10:15 AM...07...17...45...Transfer tagup
Mon 10:40 AM...07...18...10...Joint crew meal
Mon 11:40 AM...07...19...10...Farewell ceremony
Mon 11:55 AM...07...19...25...Hatch closure
Mon 12:25 PM...07...19...55...Centerline camera installation
Mon 12:25 PM...07...19...55...ODS leak check
Mon 01:10 PM...07...20...40...Spacesuit installation
Mon 01:10 PM...07...20...40...Group B computer powerup
Mon 01:40 PM...07...21...10...Undocking timeline begins
Mon 02:31 PM...07...22...01...Atlantis undocks from space station
Mon 03:40 PM...07...23...10...PMA-2 depressurization
Mon 03:46 PM...07...23...16...Separation burn No. 1
Mon 04:14 PM...07...23...44...Separation burn No. 2
Mon 04:15 PM...07...23...45...Group B computer powerdown
Mon 04:45 PM...08...00...15...Undocking videotape replay
Mon 05:30 PM...08...01...00...NC-5 rocket firing
Mon 08:30 PM...08...04...00...STS/ISS crew sleep begins

DATE/EDT.......DD...HH...MM...EVENT

09/05/06
Tue 04:30 AM...08...12...00...STS crew wakeup
Tue 07:30 AM...08...15...00...NC-6 rocket firing
Tue 07:30 AM...08...15...00...OBSS unberth
Tue 08:30 AM...08...16...00...OBSS starboard wing leading edge survey
Tue 09:35 AM...08...17...05...Cabin stow begins
Tue 10:00 AM...08...17...30...OBSS nose cap survey
Tue 11:30 AM...08...19...00...Crew meal
Tue 12:30 PM...08...20...00...OBSS port wing leading edge survey
Tue 02:00 PM...08...21...30...OBSS berthing
Tue 02:35 PM...08...22...05...SRMS berthing
Tue 03:30 PM...08...23...00...LDRI downlink
Tue 06:35 PM...09...02...05...NC-7 rocket firing
Tue 08:00 PM...09...03...30...Crew sleep begins

DATE/EDT.......DD...HH...MM...EVENT

09/06/06
Wed 04:00 AM...09...11...30...Crew wakeup
Wed 06:35 AM...09...14...05...Cabin stow begins
Wed 07:33 AM...09...15...03...NC-8 rocket firing
Wed 07:50 AM...09...15...20...Flight control system checkout
Wed 09:00 AM...09...16...30...RCS hotfire
Wed 10:40 AM...09...18...10...Deorbit review
Wed 11:10 AM...09...18...40...Crew meal
Wed 12:10 PM...09...19...40...PAO event (entire crew)
Wed 12:30 PM...09...20...00...Crew off duty time begins
Wed 02:30 PM...09...22...00...Entry video setup
Wed 03:30 PM...09...23...00...CDR, PLT PILOT landing practice
Wed 04:10 PM...09...23...40...Laptop computer teardown (part 1)
Wed 04:15 PM...09...23...45...Ergometer stow
Wed 04:45 PM...10...00...15...Ku-band antenna stow
Wed 05:25 PM...10...00...55...NC-9 rocket firing
Wed 08:00 PM...10...03...30...Crew sleep begins

09/07/06
Thu 04:00 AM...10...11...30...Crew wakeup
Thu 05:55 AM...10...13...25...Group B powerup
Thu 06:10 AM...10...13...40...Navigation system alignment
Thu 06:35 AM...10...14...05...Laptop computer teardown (part 2)
Thu 06:45 AM...10...14...15...OCAC, GIRA stow
Thu 07:00 AM...10...14...30...Deorbit timeline begins
Thu 11:01 AM...10...18...31...Deorbit ignition (orbit 171)
Thu 12:04 PM...10...19...34...Landing

"We all thought that we would (have finished station assembly) by this time on the calendar, and everybody's champing at the bit to get this construction going again. You've got a house that's only partially built, and there's so much more capability sitting on the ground that needs to go up - not just the trusses but for habitable volumes. The Japanese module is a beautiful science platform; it's magnificent. I've had a chance to work with those engineers and seen the module, and it's really magnificent. The European module, Columbus, is going to be fantastic. Node 2 is sitting at the Cape ready to go and it needs to be launched. So I think it's a great shot in the arm for everybody in the partnership to say, OK, let's get going again, and let's finish this job that we started."

But for Tanner and Jett, both making their fourth space flights, landing will mark the end of the line.

"We're looking at new careers, a major career transition after this flight, we know for sure as we do some things leading up to the mission it's likely the last time we will do them in our professional careers," Jett said. "Because we know we're not going to do it again, we're trying to take a little bit more time to appreciate some of those things. Having this crew be together for so long and be so close has made it even more special because you get to share it with someone you're really close to."

The End