With good weather expected in Florida, the Atlantis astronauts packed up for landing Friday at the Kennedy Space Center. NASA's Mission Management Team, meanwhile, completed a review of heat shield inspection data collected Wednesday and concluded the shuttle was in good shape and ready for the trip home.

"Our thermal protection system has been cleared for entry," said Flight Director Bryan Lunney. "We did a late inspection yesterday and folks looked at the data and it looks really good, the system is in great shape for entry tomorrow."

Earlier today, commander Charles Hobaugh, pilot Barry Wilmore and flight engineer Leland Melvin tested Atlantis' re-entry systems, powering up a hydraulic power unit and exercising the spacecraft's elevons, body flap and rudder/speedbrake. After navigation and control system checks, the astronauts test fired the steering jets that will be used during the initial stages of the descent.

"Everything in the flight control system checked out really, really well, that system is in great shape," Lunney said. "In addition, we did our reaction control system hotfire. We fired all 38 thrusters twice, verified they all look really good and they're performing exactly as we expect. So those 38 thrusters are ready for entry as well."

Atlantis is scheduled to land at 9:44 a.m. EST Friday on runway 33 at the Kennedy Space Center. A second opportunity is available one orbit later at 11:19 a.m.

Lunney said the crew has enough on-board supplies to remain in orbit until Monday in a worst-case scenario. But with Atlantis in good shape and good weather expected Friday and Saturday, NASA has no plans to activate its backup landing site at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., until Sunday if necessary.

"We have consumables to support end-of-mission-plus-three (days), so for Friday and Saturday we're only going to try for KSC," Lunney said. "For Sunday, that's our weather extension day, what we call our pick 'em day when we would bring up our other sites in addition to KSC. Then Monday we reserve for our systems waveoff. So again, for Friday and Saturday, we're only looking at KSC. The weather at KSC is looking really great.

The only technical issue of any significance is a presumably clogged filter in the shuttle's waste water system that has prevented the crew from fully emptying accumulated urine. For a landing Friday, the issue is of no consequence at all. Engineers have developed a bypass procedure that may be implemented if the mission is extended past Friday.

The flight plan calls for Hobaugh and Wilmore to fire Atlantis' twin braking rockets at 8:37 a.m. EST. The two-minute 48-second rocket firing is designed to slow the shuttle by 211 mph, just enough to drop the far point of the orbit into Earth's atmosphere for a 9:44 a.m. touchdown on runway 33 at the Kennedy Space Center.

The Spaceflight Meteorology Group at the Johnson Space Center in Houston is calling for just a few clouds at 2,000 feet and 20,000 feet and winds out of 320 degrees at 14 knots with gusts to 21. That translates to a crosswind of just 3.2 knots and a headwind of up to 21 knots, below NASA's 25-knot limit.

If the weather doesn't cooperate, or if a technical problem crops up, Hobaugh and his crewmates will have another chance to land in Florida one orbit later, with a deorbit rocket firing at 10:12 a.m., setting up a landing at 11:19 a.m.

Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 11 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: PRE-LANDING MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEWED BY ABC, LOS ANGELES AND TAMPA TV PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 10 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: UPDATE FROM MISSION MANAGEMENT TEAM PLAY
VIDEO: WEDNESDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: INSPECTION BOOM UNBERTHED FOR HEAT SHIELD CHECKS PLAY
VIDEO: VIEWS OF ATLANTIS DURING FLYAROUND MANEUVER PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE ATLANTIS UNDOCKS FROM SPACE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: PREVIEW OF ACTIVITIES ON FLIGHT DAY 10 PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 9 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: TUESDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: ATLANTIS ASTRONAUTS BID FAREWELL TO STATION CREW PLAY
VIDEO: SPACE STATION EXPEDITION CHANGE OF COMMAND PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE AND STATION CREW JOINT CONFERENCE PLAY
VIDEO: PREVIEW OF ACTIVITIES ON FLIGHT DAY 9 PLAY
VIDEO: TUESDAY MORNING'S FLIGHT DIRECTOR INTERVIEW PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 8 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: MONDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: ENDING OF MISSION'S THIRD AND FINAL SPACEWALK PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKERS INSTALL OXYGEN TANK ONTO AIRLOCK PLAY
VIDEO: HIGH-PRESSURE OXYGEN TANK REMOVED FROM PALLET PLAY
VIDEO: GATHERING SCIENCE CASES FROM SHUTTLE BAY PLAY
VIDEO: PREVIEW OF ACTIVITIES ON FLIGHT DAY 8 PLAY
VIDEO: MONDAY MORNING'S FLIGHT DIRECTOR INTERVIEW PLAY

VIDEO: LEFT-HAND BOOSTER CAMERA LOOKING UPWARD PLAY
VIDEO: LEFT-HAND BOOSTER CAMERA LOOKING INBOARD PLAY
VIDEO: LEFT-HAND BOOSTER CAMERA LOOKING DOWNWARD PLAY
VIDEO: RIGHT-HAND BOOSTER CAMERA LOOKING UPWARD PLAY
VIDEO: RIGHT-HAND BOOSTER CAMERA LOOKING INBOARD PLAY
VIDEO: RIGHT-HAND BOOSTER CAMERA LOOKING DOWNWARD PLAY
VIDEO: EXTERNAL TANK CAMERA FROM LIFTOFF TO SEPARATION PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 7 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: PRE-FLIGHT INTERVIEW WITH RANDY AND REBECCA PLAY
VIDEO: BIRTH OF BABY BRESNIK ANNOUNCED FROM ORBIT PLAY
VIDEO: EDUCATIONAL EVENT WITH TENNESSEE TECH UNIVERSITY PLAY
VIDEO: WASHINGTON, TAMPA AND CHICAGO MEDIA INTERVIEWS PLAY
VIDEO: SUNDAY MORNING'S FLIGHT DIRECTOR INTERVIEW PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 6 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: SATURDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKERS INSTALL WIRELESS VIDEO ANTENNA PLAY
VIDEO: MEASUREMENT PROBE RELOCATED ON STATION TRUSSES PLAY
VIDEO: EXPERIMENTAL COMMUNICATION PACKAGE INSTALLED PLAY
VIDEO: SECOND SPARE PARTS PALLET MOVED TO STATION PLAY
VIDEO: STEP-BY-STEP SUMMARY OF SPACEWALK NO. 2 PLAY
VIDEO: PREVIEW OF ACTIVITIES ON FLIGHT DAY 6 PLAY
VIDEO: SATURDAY MORNING'S FLIGHT DIRECTOR INTERVIEW PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 5 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: FRIDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: ESPN, BET AND RICHMOND TV INTERVIEWS PLAY
VIDEO: MELVIN AND SATCHER ON MORNING RADIO SHOW PLAY
VIDEO: CBS, NASHVILLE TV AND FOX RADIO INTERVIEWS PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 4 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: THURSDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: SPAEWALKERS HAMMER STUCK BRACE ON TRUSS PLAY
VIDEO: MAINTENANCE WORK ON JAPANESE ROBOT ARM PLAY
VIDEO: ENJOYING THE VIEW OF SHUTTLE AND STATION PLAY
VIDEO: REFURBISHED S-BAND ANTENNA INSTALLED PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS MOVE ANTENNA FROM SHUTTLE PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALK NO. 1 GETS UNDERWAY PLAY
VIDEO: STEP-BY-STEP SUMMARY OF SPACEWALK NO. 1 PLAY
VIDEO: PREVIEW OF ACTIVITIES ON FLIGHT DAY 4 PLAY
VIDEO: THURSDAY MORNING'S FLIGHT DIRECTOR INTERVIEW PLAY

VIDEO: AERIAL LAUNCH AND SRB SPLASHDOWN FOOTAGE PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 3 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON'S MANAGEMENT TEAM UPDATE PLAY
VIDEO: SPARE PARTS CARRIER INSTALLED ONTO STATION PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE ARM HANDS PALLET TO STATION'S ARM PLAY
VIDEO: LOGISTICS CARRIER 1 UNBERTHED FROM SHUTTLE PLAY
VIDEO: WEDNESDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE CREW FLOATS INTO STATION PLAY
VIDEO: ATLANTIS DOCKS TO THE SPACE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: SPACE SHUTTLE PERFORMS 360-DEGREE BACKFLIP PLAY
VIDEO: BEAUTIFUL VIEWS OF ATLANTIS APPROACHING PLAY
VIDEO: SUMMARY OF THE SPARE PARTS PALLETS PLAY
VIDEO: PREVIEW OF PALLET NO. 1 DELIVERY ON FLIGHT DAY 3 PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED PREVIEW OF RENDEZVOUS AND DOCKING PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 2 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: TUESDAY AFTERNOON'S MANAGEMENT TEAM UPDATE PLAY
VIDEO: ROBOT ARM GRAPPLES LOGISTICS CARRIER 1 PLAY
VIDEO: TUESDAY AFTERNOON'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: PREVIEW OF ACTIVITIES ON FLIGHT DAY 2 PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED TOUR OF THE PAYLOAD BAY PLAY

VIDEO: THE FLIGHT DAY 1 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: INSIDE MISSION CONTROL ROOM PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAYS: EXTERNAL TANK CAMERA PLAY
VIDEO: POST-LAUNCH PRESS CONFERENCE PLAY

VIDEO: CREW FINISHES GETTING SUITED UP PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS LEAVE CREW QUARTERS PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LIFTOFF OF SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS! PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: PRESS SITE PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: PAD PERIMETER PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: BEACH TRACKER PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: PAD CAEMRA 070 PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: PAD CAEMRA 071 PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: WEST TOWER SITE PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: UCS-23 TRACKER PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: PLAYALINDA BEACH PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: PAD FRONT CAMERA PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: VAB ROOF PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: NARRATED REVIEW OF SHUTTLE'S PREPARATIONS HI-DEF
VIDEO: NARRATED REVIEW OF PAYLOADS' PREPARATIONS HI-DEF

VIDEO: STUNNING SUNSET ROLLBACK OF PAD GANTRY PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: A LOOK AT SPACE STATION SCIENCE RESEARCH PLAY
VIDEO: THE STS-129 PRE-LAUNCH PRESS CONFERENCE PLAY
VIDEO: COUNTDOWN PREVIEW AND WEATHER BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS ARRIVE FOR LAUNCH PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: NARRATED MISSION OVERVIEW MOVIE PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: MEET SHUTTLE ATLANTIS' ASTRONAUTS PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS TOUR PAD'S CLEANROOM PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: SHUTTLE EVACUATION PRACTICE PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: CREW BOARDS SHUTTLE FOR TEST PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: THE LAUNCH DAY SIMULATION BEGINS PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: CREW ARRIVES FOR PRACTICE COUNTDOWN PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: PAYLOADS DELIVERED TO PAD 39A PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: PLACING PAYLOADS INTO TRANSPORTER PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: FLIGHT READINESS REVIEW SETS LAUNCH DATE PLAY

VIDEO: CREW BRIEFED ON EMERGENCY PROCEDURES PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: TEST-DRIVING EMERGENCY ARMORED TANK PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: CREW ARRIVES AT CAPE FOR TRAINING PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: SHUTTLE AND STATION PROGRAM UPDATE PLAY
VIDEO: THE STS-129 MISSION OVERVIEW BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: PREVIEW BRIEFING ON MISSION'S SPACEWALKS PLAY
VIDEO: THE ASTRONAUTS' PRE-FLIGHT NEWS BRIEFING PLAY

VIDEO: SPACE SHUTTLE ROLLOUT IN FAST-FORWARD PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ATLANTIS TAKES PERCH ATOP PAD 39A PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ROLLOUT FROM ASSEMBLY BUILDING BEGINS PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: SPACE SHUTTLE ASSEMBLY IN FAST-FORWARD PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE OF ATLANTIS ATTACHED TO FUEL TANK PLAY
VIDEO: ATLANTIS LEAVES HANGAR FOR NEXT LAUNCH PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE OF ATLANTIS ARRIVING IN VAB PLAY
VIDEO: CLOSING ATLANTIS' PAYLOAD BAY DOORS PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: FUEL TANK ATTACHED TO SOLID ROCKETS PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS MAKE A VISIT TO THE CAPE PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ORBITER DOCKING SYSTEM CHECKED OUT PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ATLANTIS' FUEL TANK UNLOADED FROM BARGE PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: EXTERNAL TANK ARRIVES AT THE LAUNCH SITE PLAY | HI-DEF
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