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STS-122: The mission

Atlantis' trip to the station will deliver the European Space Agency's Columbus science lab module.

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STS-122: The programs

Managers from the shuttle, station and EVA programs discuss Atlantis' upcoming flight.

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STS-122: Spacewalks

Three spacewalks are planned during Atlantis' STS-122 assembly mission. Lead spacewalk officer Anna Jarvis previews the EVAs.

 Full briefing
 EVA 1 summary
 EVA 2 summary
 EVA 3 summary

The Atlantis crew

The astronauts of Atlantis' STS-122 mission meet the press in the traditional pre-flight news conference.

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Harmony's big move

The station's new Harmony module is detached from the Unity hub and moved to its permanent location on the Destiny lab.

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Delta 4-Heavy launch

The first operational Delta 4-Heavy rocket launches the final Defense Support Program missile warning satellite for the Air Force.

 Full coverage

Columbus readied

The European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory module moves to pad 39A and placed aboard shuttle Atlantis for launch.

 To pad | Installed

Station port moved

The station crew uses the robot arm to detach the main shuttle docking port and mount it to the new Harmony module Nov. 12.

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Atlantis rolls out

Space shuttle Atlantis rolls from the Vehicle Assembly Building to pad 39A for its December launch with the Columbus module.

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Atlantis goes vertical

Atlantis is hoisted upright and maneuvered into position for attachment to the external tank and boosters.

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Space station EVA

This Expedition 16 status briefing recaps the Nov. 9 spacewalk that prepared the station's shuttle docking port for relocation to the new Harmony module.

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Shuttle brings Columbus to the space station
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: February 9, 2008

Wrapping up a textbook rendezvous, commander Steve Frick guided the shuttle Atlantis to a smooth docking with the international space station today after a spectacular slow-motion back flip directly below the outpost to let the lab crew photograph the ship's heat shield tiles. The linkup occurred at 12:17 p.m. as the two spacecraft sailed 209 miles above southern Australia at 5 miles per second. The station crew promptly rang the ship's bell, announcing the shuttle's arrival in accordance with naval tradition.

"Houston, Alpha/Atlantis. We have capture confirmed," station flight engineer Dan Tani radioed.

"Great indicator," commander Peggy Whitson agreed.

Today's docking was the first since the new Harmony connecting module was attached to the forward end of the U.S. Destiny laboratory late last year. The shuttle's docking port, pressurized mating adapter No. 2, was removed from Destiny and attached to the front end of Harmony in November to complete a major reconfiguration of the station's front end.

Atlantis' arrival, bringing the European Space Agency's Columbus research module and a new station crew member - French astronaut Leopold Eyharts - was a welcome birthday present for Whitson, who turned 48 today. A large "Happy Birthday" sign was stretched across the interior of the Destiny module to mark the occasion.

Atlantis also was a welcome sight for Tani, who was launched to the station last October and who's stay aloft was extended two months because of problems getting the shuttle off the ground in December.

Eyharts will officially replace Tani early Sunday, after his Soyuz seat liner and pressure suit are transferred to the station and it's Russian descent vehicle. Eyharts will remain aboard the station until tthe shuttle Endeavour arrives in mid March carrying the first of two Japanese modules.

Whitson, Tani and Russian flight engineer Yuri Malenchenko planned to welcome their shuttle colleagues aboard with a brief ceremony in the Harmony module. After a safety briefing, the astronauts will get back to work, using the station's robot arm to pull the shuttle's heat shield inspection boom from its stowage location along the right side of the cargo bay.

The boom must be removed to clear the way for the unberthing of the Columbus module Sunday. The shuttle's robot arm can't reach it when the ship is docked to the station and once it's clear of the cargo bay, the station arm will hand the boom off to the shuttle's arm.

During the shuttle's approach to the station today, Whitson and Malenchenko photographed the belly of the orbiter as Frick guided the spaceplane through a dramatic end-over-end back flip as the two spacecraft passed high above the Atlantic Ocean. The station astronauts also photographed the shuttle's upper surfaces, paying special attention to Atlantis' right aft orbital maneuvering system rocket pod.

Engineers suspect one of the insulation blankets on the pod might have pulled up a bit during launch, but nothing obvious could be seen in close-up television views from the station. The higher-resolution digital still images should give engineers the views they need to assess the condition of the pad blankets as well as the critical heat shield tiles on the ship's belly.

Earlier today, the shuttle crew requested a private medical conference, or PMC, a somewhat unusual request in the midst of a rendezvous. A followup PMC was asked for shortly after docking but NASA does not discuss medical issues because of privacy concerns and it was not known what might have prompted the brief conferences.

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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: NARRATED PREVIEW OF THE DOCKING PLAY
VIDEO: FLIGHT DAY 2 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY | XL SIZE
VIDEO: FRIDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: HEAT SHIELD INSPECTIONS EXPLAINED PLAY

VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA CS-1 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA CS-2 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA CS-6 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: WEST TOWER PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: FRONT CAMERA PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 009 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 049 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 050 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 051 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 054 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 060 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 070 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 071 PLAY

VIDEO: FLIGHT DAY 1 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY | XL SIZE
VIDEO: NARRATED REVIEW OF ATLANTIS' LAUNCH PREPS PLAY | XL SIZE
VIDEO: NASA AND ESA POST-LAUNCH NEWS BRIEFING PLAY

VIDEO: FULL LENGTH LAUNCH MOVIE! PLAY
VIDEO: ATLANTIS BLASTS OFF WITH COLUMBUS PLAY
VIDEO: POLLS GIVE THE FINAL "GO" TO LAUNCH PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS ARRIVE AT LAUNCH PAD 39A PLAY
VIDEO: CREW DEPARTS QUARTERS FOR LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS DON THEIR SPACESUITS FOR LAUNCH PLAY
VIDEO: RUSSIAN CARGO SHIP DOCKS TO STATION THIS MORNING PLAY
VIDEO: PAD GANTRY ROLLED BACK THE NIGHT BEFORE LAUNCH PLAY

VIDEO: COLUMBUS AND ATV OVERVIEW BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY
VIDEO: TUESDAY MORNING'S COUNTDOWN STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: MONDAY'S CARGO SHIP UNDOCKING FROM STATION PLAY
VIDEO: ATLANTIS' PAYLOAD BAY DOORS CLOSED FOR FLIGHT PLAY
VIDEO: CREW RETURNS TO KENNEDY SPACE CENTER FOR LAUNCH PLAY
VIDEO: MONDAY MORNING'S COUNTDOWN STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: POST-FLIGHT READINESS REVIEW BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: STS-122 ASTRONAUT BIOGRAPHIES PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED OVERVIEW OF ATLANTIS' MISSION PLAY
VIDEO: INSIGHTS INTO COLUMBUS SCIENCE LABORATORY PLAY
VIDEO: STS-122 MISSION OVERVIEW BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: BRIEFING ON THE SPACEWALKS PLAY
VIDEO: CREW'S PRE-FLIGHT BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEW WITH STEVE FRICK PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEW WITH ALAN POINDEXTER PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEW WITH LELAND MELVIN PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEW WITH REX WALHEIM PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEW WITH HANS SCHLEGEL PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEW WITH STANLEY LOVE PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEW WITH LEOPOLD EYHARTS PLAY
MORE: STS-122 VIDEO COVERAGE
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