BY SPACEFLIGHT NOW

Follow the mission of space shuttle Atlantis and the resident crew living aboard the International Space Station. Reload this page for the very latest.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2002

The shuttle Atlantis dropped out of a beautiful fall sky today and settled to a slightly windy touchdown on runway 33 at the Kennedy Space Center to close out an 11-day space station assembly mission spanning 170 orbits and 4.5 million miles since blastoff Oct. 7. Read our full story that also includes info on this morning's underspeed experienced during a station reboost maneuver and the possible delay in the launch of the next Soyuz lifeboat.

1641 GMT (12:41 p.m. EDT)

With all six astronauts off the shuttle, the motorized Crew Transport Vehicle has backed away from Atlantis. It is expected that at least some of the shuttle astronauts will make the traditional walkaround of the Atlantis on the runway shortly.

Later, the astronauts will be driven to Kennedy Space Center's Operations & Checkout Building to be reunited with their families and have dinner.

Atlantis will be towed off the runway to its hangar later this afternoon. The shuttle's next flight is the STS-114 mission in March that will exchange the Expeditions 6 and 7 crews.

1619 GMT (12:19 p.m. EDT)

The four mission specialists are now off the orbiter and inside the Crew Transport Vehicle.

1608 GMT (12:08 p.m. EDT)

The Crew Transport Vehicle -- a modified airport "People Mover" -- has pulled up to the Atlantis' crew hatch for the astronauts to enter. The CTV features beds and comfortable seats for the astronauts to receive medical checks after returning to Earth's gravity from the weightless environment of space.

1607 GMT (12:07 p.m. EDT)

The main engine nozzles have been gimbaled to the "rain drain" position. So Atlantis' three Auxiliary Power Units can be shut down. The body flap has been set. And the astronauts have been given the OK to take off their entry suits.

1600 GMT (12:00 p.m. EDT)

Here are the preliminary landing times in Eastern Daylight Time and Mission Elapsed Time:

Main Gear Touchdown
11:43:40 a.m. EDT
MET: 10 days, 19 hours, 57 minutes, 49 seconds

Nose Gear Touchdown
11:43:48 a.m. EDT
MET: 10 days, 19 hours, 57 minutes, 57 seconds

Wheels Stop
11:44:35 a.m. EDT
MET: 10 days, 19 hours, 58 minutes, 44 seconds

1554 GMT (11:54 a.m. EDT)

The astronauts are going through standard post-landing safing of Atlantis following a smooth touchdown today. The external tank umbilical doors on the shuttle's belly have been opened. The side hatch and drag chute pyrotechnics have been safed, and the landing gear is reported safed. On the runway, workers have arrived with instruments to "sniff" the shuttle's exterior to check for any hazardous vapors.

1549 GMT (11:49 a.m. EDT)

Post-landing safing of Atlantis is underway by the astronauts following touchdown today.

1544 GMT (11:44 a.m. EDT)

WHEELS STOP. Atlantis is back home at its point of origination at the Kennedy Space Center after a successful mission that delivered Starboard 1 truss structure to begin the outward expansion of the international space station's backbone.

1543 GMT (11:43 a.m. EDT)

TOUCHDOWN! Main gear touchdown. Nose gear touchdown. Drag chute deployed. Space shuttle Atlantis rolls out on Runway 33 after traveling 4 1/2 million miles over the past 11 days.

1543 GMT (11:43 a.m. EDT)

Landing gear down and locked. Standing by for touchdown on Kennedy Space Center's Runway 33.

1542 GMT (11:42 a.m. EDT)

Field in sight. Commander Ashby can see the runway as he pilots Atlantis to landing at Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle descending at a rate seven times steeper than that of a commercial airliner.

1541 GMT (11:41 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is in the Heading Alignment Cylinder, an imaginary circle to align with Runway 33. The crew is piloting the shuttle through a 291-degree right-overhead turn. Altitude under 40,000 feet.

1540 GMT (11:40 a.m. EDT)

Commander Jeff Ashby has taken manual control of Atlantis. The sonic booms have been heard in KSC area, announcing the shuttle's arrival.

1539 GMT (11:39 a.m. EDT)

Now five minutes from landing at the Kennedy Space Center. Mission Control has given the crew a "go" for late drag chute deployment in order to achieve a crosswind landing test.

1538 GMT (11:38 a.m. EDT)

About six minutes to landing. Distance from the runway is now 69 miles.

1537 GMT (11:37 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is now descending at a rate of 240 feet per second.

1536 GMT (11:36 a.m. EDT)

Powerful long-range tracking cameras have spotted Atlantis. Range to the runway 100 miles. Altitude 18 miles.

1536 GMT (11:36 a.m. EDT)

Air data probes have been deployed from the shuttle's nose to feed air speed, altitude and angle of attack information to the computers for navigation.

1535 GMT (11:35 a.m. EDT)

Touchdown is now 9 minutes away. The shuttle, just a glider during its return to Earth, is expected to land 2,200 feet down the runway at about 195 knots.

1534 GMT (11:34 a.m. EDT)

Ten minutes to landing. Atlantis is about to make U.S. landfall south of Tampa. Distance from KSC is 230 miles, altitude 25 miles, traveling at Mach 6.5.

1533 GMT (11:33 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis remains on the proper track for landing in 11 minutes at Kennedy Space Center.

The Merritt Island tracking station at the Cape, called MILA, has locked on to signal from space shuttle Atlantis. This provides more detailed navigation data for tracking the spaceplane as it streaks to touchdown at Kennedy Space Center. And the TACAN navigation units aboard Atlantis are now receiving data from beacons located at the ground.

1532 GMT (11:32 a.m. EDT)

The shuttle is beginning to bank back to the right.

1530 GMT (11:30 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is now just off the western tip of Cuba. Altitude 33 miles, traveling at 8,000 mph.

1529 GMT (11:29 a.m. EDT)

Now 15 minutes until landing. Speed currently Mach 16, at an altitude of 37 miles. Range to the runway about 900 miles.

Touchdown will occur on Runway 33 at the Kennedy Space Center -- the southeast to northwest strip of the Shuttle Landing Facility. Upon arrival at the heading alignment circle in skies over KSC, commander Jeff Ashby will make a 291-degree right-overhead turn to align Atlantis with the runway. Touchdown is expected at 11:44 a.m. EDT.

The Shuttle Landing Facility was built in 1975. It is 300 feet wide and 15,000 feet long with 1,000-foot overruns at each end. The strip is located about three miles northwest of the 525-foot tall Vehicle Assembly Building.

1526 GMT (11:26 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis has made landfall over Central America. Atltude is 41 miles, 1,400 miles to the runway, dropping at 166 feet per second, velocity 13,000 mph.

1525 GMT (11:25 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is now reversing its bank to the left to further reduce speed.

1524 GMT (11:24 a.m. EDT)

Now 20 minutes from landing. Atlantis is 1,800 miles to the runway with an altitude of 43 miles.

1521 GMT (11:21 a.m. EDT)

The shuttle is now crossing the equator above the Pacific. Time to touchdown is 23 minutes.

1517 GMT (11:17 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is beginning the first of four banks to scrub off speed as it plunges into the atmosphere. These turns basically remove the energy Atlantis built up during launch. This first bank is to the right.

1512 GMT (11:12 a.m. EDT)

ENTRY INTERFACE. The protective tiles on the belly of Atlantis are now feeling heat beginning to build as the orbiter enters the top fringes of the atmosphere -- a period known as Entry Interface.

The shuttle is flying with its nose elevated 40 degrees, wings level, at an altitude of 400,000 feet, passing over the southern Pacific Ocean, about 4,300 nautical miles from the landing site, at a velocity of Mach 25, descending at a rate of over 600 feet per second.

Touchdown is set for 11:44 a.m. EDT at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

1509 GMT (11:09 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is currently above the southern Pacific Ocean, 6,000 miles from the runway, at an altitude of 530,000 feet, traveling at Mach 25.

1508 GMT (11:08 a.m. EDT)

All three auxiliary power units are running to supply pressure to the shuttle's hydraulic systems, which in turn move Atlantis's aerosurfaces and deploy the landing gear. One unit was started prior to the deorbit burn; the others just a few moments ago. The units are only activated during the launch and landing phases of the shuttle mission.

1500 GMT (11:00 a.m. EDT)

The shuttle's track home will take the craft above the Pacific Ocean on northeastward track towards Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle will make landfall above Central America, before heading back over water and skirting to the west of Cuba. Atlantis will arrive in the skies of Florida on the western coast, south of Tampa, and continue across the central portion of the state, flying just south of Orlando. Once in the vicinity of KSC, Commander Ashby will perform a wide, sweeping 291-degree right-overhead turn to align with Runway 33 -- the southeast to northwest three-mile strip.

1445 GMT (10:45 a.m. EDT)

Onboard guidance is maneuvering Atlantis from its heads-down, tail-forward position needed for the deorbit burn to the reentry configuration of heads-up and nose-forward. The nose also will be pitched upward 40 degrees. In this new position, the black tiles on the shuttle's belly will shield the spacecraft during the fiery plunge through the Earth's atmosphere with temperatures reaching 3,000 degrees F. Atlantis will begin interacting with the upper fringes of the atmosphere above the South Pacific in about a half-hour.

1438 GMT (10:38 a.m. EDT)

DEORBIT BURN COMPLETE. Atlantis has successfully completed the deorbit burn, committing the shuttle for its journey back to Earth. Landing is scheduled for 11:44 a.m. EDT at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Today's landing will be the 60th to occur at Kennedy Space Center in the history of space shuttle program. Dating back to May 1996, this will mark the 38th of the last 43 shuttle missions to land in Florida. KSC is the most used landing site for the shuttle. Edwards Air Force Base in California has seen 49 landings and White Sands in New Mexico supported one.

1436 GMT (10:36 a.m. EDT)

DEORBIT BURN IGNITION. Flying upside down and backwards above the Indian Ocean, Atlantis has begun the deorbit burn. The firing of the two orbital maneuvering system engines on the tail of the shuttle will last two minutes and 12 seconds, slowing the craft to slip from orbit.

The retro-burn will send Atlantis towards a touchdown at 11:44 a.m. EDT on a runway just a few miles from the Kennedy Space Center launch pad where the shuttle lifted off 11 days ago.

1431 GMT (10:31 a.m. EDT)

Pilot Pam Melroy is activating one of three Auxiliary Power Units -- APU No. 2 -- in advance of the deorbit burn, now five minutes away. The other two APUs will be started later in the descent to provide pressure needed to power shuttle's hydraulic systems that move the wing flaps, rudder/speed brake, drop the landing gear and steer the nose wheel. NASA ensures that at least one APU is working before committing to the deorbit burn since the shuttle only needs a single unit to make a safe landing.

1427 GMT (10:27 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis has maneuvered to the deorbit burn attitude. The shuttle is flying upside-down and backwards with its tail pointed in the direction of travel. The shuttle's vent doors have been closed and final configuring of the onboard computers has been completed.

1420 GMT (10:20 a.m. EDT)

GO FOR THE DEORBIT BURN! With no problems aboard the shuttle and acceptable weather at the Kennedy Space Center landing site, entry flight director John Shannon has given space shuttle Atlantis' astronauts the "go" to perform the deorbit burn at 10:36:14 a.m. EDT for return to Earth.

The upcoming two-minute, 12-second retrograde burn using the twin orbital maneuvering system engines on the tail of Atlantis will slow the shuttle's velocity just enough to slip the craft out of orbit and begin the plunge back into the atmosphere.

Atlantis is headed to a landing at 11:44 a.m. EDT on Runway 33 at KSC. The landing will conclude the 10-day, 19-hour, 58-minute STS-112 mission.

1415 GMT (10:15 a.m. EDT)

Entry flight director John Shannon is polling his team in Mission Control before making the decision on the deorbit burn.

1400 GMT (10:00 a.m. EDT)

Pilot Pam Melroy has completed the auxiliary power unit prestart, which positions switches in the cockpit in the ready-to-start configuration. One of the three APUs will be started prior to the deorbit burn.

1357 GMT (9:57 a.m. EDT)

A steering check of the Atlantis' twin orbital maneuvering system engines on the tail of the shuttle is now beginning. The deorbit burn engine firing will begin at 10:36:14 a.m. EDT and last for two minutes and 12 seconds. That's a revision from the Flight Dynamics Officer in Mission Control over early predictions. The burn will slow the ship by 251 feet per second.

The braking will drop the shuttle from orbit, putting Atlantis on course to fall back into the atmosphere for the hour-long glide to the Kennedy Space Center landing site. Touchdown is expected at 11:44 a.m. EDT on Runway 33.

1343 GMT (9:43 a.m. EDT)

Meteorologists in Mission Control report there are some clouds moving onshore at Kennedy Space Center. However, these clouds are not expected to be a problem for today's scheduled landing.

1336 GMT (9:36 a.m. EDT)

Now an hour from the deorbit burn. Commander Jeff Ashby and pilot Pam Melroy are strapped into their seats. Mission specialists Sandy Magus and Dave Wolf will be seated on the flight deck and Piers Sellers and Fyodor Yurchikhin on the middeck.

1300 GMT (9:00 a.m. EDT)

The weather here at Kennedy Space Center remains favorable for Atlantis' return home today at 11:44 a.m. EDT.

The crew is scheduled to spend a few minutes right now going over the game plan for entry. The commander and pilot will then begin suiting up in the day-glow orange launch and entry suits before strapping into their seats. The rest of the crew are slated to begin suiting up in a little more than a half an hour.

The "go/no go" decision for the deorbit burn by entry flight director John Shannon is expected around 10:15 a.m. EDT.

1236 GMT (8:36 a.m. EDT)

Now two hours away from the scheduled one-minute, 58-second firing of Atlantis' twin orbital maneuvering system engines to drop from orbit. Landing is still set for Kennedy Space Center's Runway 33 at 11:44 a.m. EDT.

1220 GMT (8:20 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is crossing the equator to officially start orbit 170 -- the last full orbit of the mission. And the shuttle's computers are currently in the process of switching the entry software as activities continue smoothly for today's homecoming.

The weather forecast for the Kennedy Space Center is virtually perfect this morning. Meteorologists are calling for no clouds, unrestricted visibility and light winds.

The deorbit burn to brake from orbit is slated for 10:36 a.m., putting the shuttle on course for landing at 11:44 a.m. EDT. Here is a full timeline of today's events.

1207 GMT (8:07 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis' clam-shell-like payload bay doors have been closed and locked in preparation for today's fiery descent into Earth's atmosphere and landing at Kennedy Space Center.

There are no problems to report this morning. The weather forecast for Florida is ideal and expected to remain acceptable today. Touchdown is expected at 11:44 a.m. EDT.

Also, Mission Control has given commander Jeff Ashby a "go" to transition Atlantis' onboard computers from the OPS-2 software used during the shuttle's stay in space to OPS-3, which is the software package that governs entry and landing.

And Atlantis will soon maneuver to a new orientation in space to improve the communications link with NASA's orbiting data relay satellites.

1201 GMT (8:01 a.m. EDT)

Mission specialists Sandy Magnus and Dave Wolf are in the process of closing Atlantis' payload bay doors at this moment in preparation for today's entry and landing.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2002

The Atlantis astronauts tested the shuttle's navigation and maneuvering systems today, conducted a final few atmospheric observations for an Air Force experiment and stowed equipment in preparation for landing Friday at the Kennedy Space Center. Read our full story.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2002

Following an emotional farewell, the crews of Atlantis and the International Space Station closed the hatches of their spacecraft concluding a week of joint operations, that saw the transfer of about 1,800 pounds of supplies and hardware to the station, and the addition of the 15 ton, 45-foot long Starboard One (S1) truss segment continuing the station's expansion.

Following undocking, Pilot Pam Melroy flew Atlantis a partial lap around the station, as her crewmates used cameras to document its latest addition and overall condition. At 11 a.m. EDT, she fired Atlantis' engines in a final separation maneuver, leaving the Expedition Five crew -- Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev -- to continue stowing away many of the items that were transferred over the past week and preparing for the early November arrival of a new Soyuz return vehicle, and its visiting crew.

Flying solo, the focus on board Atlantis is on preparing for a return trip to Earth on Friday. Commander Jeff Ashby, Melroy and flight engineer Sandy Magnus will check out Atlantis' flight control systems and test fire its reaction control system jets in preparation for re-entry and landing. The entire crew also will begin packing up the cameras, equipment and hardware they've used over the course of the past 10 days in space.

The Atlantis crew will be awakened at 3:16 a.m. to begin what should be its final full day in orbit with landing scheduled for 11:44 a.m. EDT Friday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Expedition Five crew will awaken at 4:30 a.m., settling into a slightly later than normal shift to support the upcoming visits of the Soyuz taxi crew and Space Shuttle Endeavour.

1501 GMT (11:01 a.m. EDT)

The final separation maneuver by Atlantis has been completed, a bit earlier than expected, and the shuttle is now quickly departing the vicinity of the space station.

The rest of shuttle astronauts' day will be spent with media interviews and experiment work. Tomorrow will focus on packing the crew cabin and system tests in preparation for entry and landing. Touchdown at Kennedy Space Center is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. EDT Friday.

1450 GMT (10:50 a.m. EDT)

The upcoming final separation burn will be a 24-second firing of the shuttle's forward reaction control system to change Atlantis' velocity by 5.5-feet per second.

1440 GMT (10:40 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is back out in front of the station to complete a full loop around the complex. Once at a point well above the complex, the final separation burn will be performed at around 11:04 a.m.

1430 GMT (10:30 a.m. EDT)

The shuttle is now 450 feet directly below the station and performing a separation burn.

1420 GMT (10:20 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis has reached a point directly behind the station in terms of the direction of travel of the two spacecraft around the Earth, which is known as the -V bar.

1408 GMT (10:08 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is reaching a point directly above the space station.

1356 GMT (9:56 a.m. EDT)

Under the control of pilot Pam Melroy, Atlantis has begun the flyaround of the space station so the shuttle astronauts can take photos to document the outpost. The fly-around starts with the shuttle in front of the station, takes Atlantis to a point directly above the complex, then behind it, looping below and back out in front. After climbing above the station for a second time, the final separation engine firing will be performed. This burn will send Atlantis away from the vicinity of the station.

1342 GMT (9:42 a.m. EDT)

Separation distance now 250 feet.

1328 GMT (9:28 a.m. EDT)

The shuttle is now 130 feet in front of the station, continuing to move away.

1318 GMT (9:18 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is now 40 feet from the station, backing away at about 0.1 feet per second. The shuttle is headed to a point about 450 feet away to begin a flyaround of the station.

1313 GMT (9:13 a.m. EDT)

UNDOCKING! Atlantis is slowing backing away from the international space station after a 7-day visit that began the outward expansion of the outpost's truss backbone with delivery of the S1 segment. Undocking occurred above the Russian-Ukrainian border.

1311 GMT (9:11 a.m. EDT)

About two minutes until undocking. The command has been issued to begin driving open the hooks holding Atlantis and station together. Once the hooks and latches are opened, one final command will be sent to undock the shuttle.

1308 GMT (9:08 a.m. EDT)

Five minutes from undocking. The steering jets on Atlantis are inhibited for the period of physical undocking from the station. The separation occurs when large springs push the two craft apart. Once the shuttle is a couple feet away from the station and the docking devices are clear of one another, pilot Pam Melroy will fire Atlantis' thrusters to continue the movement away.

1258 GMT (8:58 a.m. EDT)

Now 15 minutes from the scheduled departure of Atlantis from the space station. The undocking is expected to occur about 240 miles above the Russian-Ukrainian line.

1256 GMT (8:56 a.m. EDT)

Mission Control has given the astronauts a "go" for undocking. The station's solar arrays have been repositioned.

1252 GMT (8:52 a.m. EDT)

The Orbiter Docking System in Atlantis' payload bay is now being powered up to release the shuttle from the station in about 21 minutes.

1235 GMT (8:35 a.m. EDT)

A timeline of today's undocking activities is available here.

1227 GMT (8:27 a.m. EDT)

With Atlantis in control of the shuttle-station stack's attitude, the shuttle's thrusters are being used to reorient the complex to the proper undocking attitude. Departure is about 45 minutes away.

1120 GMT (7:20 a.m. EDT)

After a farewell ceremony, the crews of Atlantis and the station closed the hatchway between the two craft at 7:15 a.m. EDT in preparation for today's undocking of the shuttle. The total duration of time the two crews were joined was 6 days, 18 hours and 40 minutes.

Atlantis is scheduled to undock at 9:13 a.m. EDT with pilot Pam Melroy at the controls. She will guide the shuttle to a point about 450 feet directly in front of the station before beginning a flyaround of the complex.

"We're going to be doing a slightly abbreviated fly around," said flight director Phil Engelauf. "We will separate from in front of the station on the plus v-bar, we call it, and we'll do a normal separation out to about a 450-foot radius and we'll start a fly around going up, over the top of the station.

"If we were going to do no fly around, we would do a separation burn when we were directly over the top of the station at about 500 feet. In this case, we're going to continue on around another 180 degrees until we're directly underneath the station. And then we'll do about a one-and-a-half-foot-per-second sep burn at that point.

"The resulting motion, because that's a posigrade burn, will bring us a little farther out in front of the station, but we'll still go up and over the top of the station again. And when we get directly above the station, we'll do another burn of about a foot-and-a-half per second and that will be the final separation maneuver that will move us out of the vicinity of the station."

The final separation maneuver is expected around 11 a.m.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2002

The latest Mission Control status report:

Space shuttle and International Space Station crew members enjoyed a final evening meal together Tuesday after a day of activities aimed at relaxing after a challenging week of joint operations and making final preparations for Atlantis' undocking and departure tomorrow.

Atlantis Commander Jeff Ashby and Expedition Five Science Officer Peggy Whitson put on their air-conditioning maintenance caps, removing and replacing a humidity separator in the station's Quest airlock. That device, which removes excess moisture from the airlock's atmosphere, had been exhibiting some leakage attributed to a clogged filter. The repair work went as planned, and the old unit is destined to come home in the same space on Atlantis that carried up the fresh unit.

Loadmaster Sandy Magnus coordinated the final transfer of equipment and supplies from Atlantis to the station, as well as the packing of items that are being returned to Earth on the shuttle. A total of about 1,800 pounds of supplies were delivered to the station, and an equal amount will be brought back.

The joint crew will be awakened at 3:46 a.m. EDT Wednesday and begin final departure preparations. The two crews will conduct a final farewell ceremony at 6:59 a.m. EDT, then gather on the opposite sides of their hatches and close the doors.

Undocking is scheduled for 9:13 a.m. EDT. After Pilot Pam Melroy gently eases Atlantis out to a distance of 450 feet, she will fire its reaction control system thrusters and begin a slow fly-around of the station so that her crewmates may take still and video pictures of the station with its newest addition, the Starboard 1 truss structure. Melroy expects to fly at least halfway around the station before separating, but if propellant supplies allow she may be able to make one complete revolution.

Once back on their own, the Expedition Five voyagers -- 131 days into their mission, 129 as station crewmembers -- return their attention to unpacking a Russian Progress supply vehicle that arrived in late September, and packing up belongings for their own return home scheduled for late November aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour. Endeavour rolled out to its Kennedy Space Center launch pad over the weekend, and the next station addition, a Port 1 truss segment, was loaded in the cargo bay today.

Between now and then, Expedition Five will receive more guests from Earth when a new Russian Soyuz emergency return vehicle and crew arrive following launch Oct. 28 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2002

The latest Mission Control status report:

The third and final spacewalk of the mission concluded at 4:47 p.m. EDT today, 6 hours and 36 minutes after Dave Wolf and Piers Sellers floated out of the Quest airlock of the International Space Station and into the vacuum of space.

The spacewalk began at 10:11 a.m., and was the 46th devoted to assembly and maintenance of the station. Making quick work of their first task, to remove a bolt preventing activation of a cable cutter on the mobile transporter, Wolf and Sellers moved on to connect ammonia lines and remove structural support clamps that held the truss in place during launch. With Sellers and Wolf working well ahead of schedule, an additional "get ahead" task - installing Spool Positioning Devices on a pump motor assembly - was added to the spacewalk. The pump motor assembly helps to circulate ammonia through the station's cooling system. Throughout today's spacewalk the station's robotic arm, which was used as a work platform by Sellers and Wolf, was operated by NASA's ISS science officer Peggy Whitson and Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus.

Earlier in the day at 6:20 a.m. Commander Jeff Ashby and Pilot Pam Melroy pulsed Atlantis' thrusters for 35 minutes gently raising the altitude of the station by 2.3 miles. The combined results of two reboost maneuvers by Atlantis increased the station's altitude by a total of six miles, setting the stage for the arrival of a replacement Soyuz spacecraft, set for launch on October 28.

Atlantis' crew is scheduled to awaken at 4:46 a.m. Tuesday with the station crew awakening about one-half hour later. Tuesday will see some scheduled off-duty time for the two crews, allowing them some final hours together before Wednesday's scheduled undocking and departure of Atlantis from the station.

2058 GMT (4:58 p.m. EDT)

NASA confirms today's spacewalk ended at 4:47 p.m. EDT for a duration of six hours and 36 minutes. That brings the total EVA time on three spacewalks of Atlantis' mission to 19 hours and 41 minutes. This was the 46th space station assembly spacewalk, boosting that total duration to over 285 hours.

2049 GMT (4:49 p.m. EDT)

The Quest airlock is being repressurized to mark the end of today's successful spacewalk. David Wolf and Piers Sellers performed the final outfitting and configuring of the new S1 truss and released a stuck bolt on the station's mobile railcar.

Mission Control is still waiting to confirm the exact EVA end time.

2030 GMT (4:30 p.m. EDT)

The spacewalkers are making their way back in the airlock and preparing to bring this EVA to an end.

1920 GMT (3:20 p.m. EDT)

The spacewalk has passed the five-hour mark. Dave Wolf and Piers Sellers are wrapping up their final chores before bringing this final EVA of Atlantis' mission to an end.

In the meantime, you can see our Mission Status Center coverage of today's Delta 4 rocket engine firing at Cape Canaveral's launch pad 37B.

1850 GMT (2:50 p.m. EDT)

The second keel pin has now been removed by the spacewalkers for stowage.

1830 GMT (2:30 p.m. EDT)

The spacewalkers have completed removal of the first of two keel pins on the S1 truss. The keel pins are what held the truss in Atlantis' payload bay during launch.

1733 GMT (1:33 p.m. EDT)

Mission Control reports the spacewalk is running about on schedule. The astronauts had gotten ahead when it was found they didn't have to replace the umbilical assembly on the station's railcar. But then they got behind in the installation of the jumpers.

1715 GMT (1:15 p.m. EDT)

The fluid jumper installation task has been completed. The lines have been installed between the S0 and S1 truss to flow ammonia to radiator panels of the space station.

Looking ahead, here's a description of the next job:

Sellers, riding on the arm, and Wolf, move on to S1's port drag link. They will work together to release that drag link, a large metal rod used as a launch restraint. Wolf will release a bolt attaching the drag link to the keel, while Sellers releases a similar bolt attaching the drag link to S1.

Sellers takes the drag link to its stowage location on the S1 framework and attaches it. While Sellers attaches the drag link, Wolf moves to the port keel pin, another launch support device, first tightening two keel scissor bolts, then releasing two keel pin bolts and rotating keel pin latches free.

Once rotated Wolf reinstalls the bolt, removes two pit-pins. Sellers reinstalls the keel pin a nearby. The processes are repeated on the S1 starboard drag link and keel pin.

1705 GMT (1:05 p.m. EDT)

The spacewalkers have a backup plan to fix the SPD install trouble, which they will try.

1650 GMT (12:50 p.m. EDT)

The installation of fluid jumps continues. The spacewalkers are experiencing some difficultly attaching one of the spool positioning devices on the longer ammonia supply line between the trusses. The SPD is a clamp like device designed to help future spacewalkers in disconnecting lines.

1600 GMT (12:00 p.m. EDT)

The spacewalkers are working on the S0 to S1 fluid jumpers as the EVA nears the two-hour mark. No problems have been encountered.

1520 GMT (11:20 a.m. EDT)

The next task for the spacewalkers will be installation of fluid jumpers to enable ammonia coolant to flow between the S0 and S1 truss segments of the international space station. Sellers releases two jumpers on S0, then moves into the Canadarm2 foot restraint for a ride to the jumper install position at the lower segment-to-segment utility carrier. There he will join Wolf, waiting nearby in a portable foot restraint.

Wolf will mate and install spool positioning devices on two jumper connections on the S0 side, while Sellers performs a similar task on the S1 side. Each connection will involve a pull test and a three-minute leak check. Wolf reinstalls thermal covers while Sellers closes S1 and S0 utility tray shrouds.

This job should take about 85 minutes.

1500 GMT (11:00 a.m. EDT)

Wolf and Sellers are now reattaching cables to the railcar before moving on to other work today. The new Interface Umbilical Assembly, which had been earmarked for installation, will be stowed back in the airlock. The swap out of the assembly is no longer necessary after the spacewalkers were able to retract the safing bolt. Had the retraction not occurred, then the astronauts would have removed the whole assembly and installed the new one.

1456 GMT (10:56 a.m. EDT)

The spacewalkers have successfully retracted the troublesome safing bolt on the backup cable cutter. That means replacement of the entire Interface Umbilical Assembly won't be required on this spacewalk.

1430 GMT (10:30 a.m. EDT)

The spacewalkers have reached the mobile transporter. Here is NASA's overview of this job to replace the Interface Umbilical Assembly (IUA).

The IUA is installed with the Trailing Umbilical System (TUS) on the Mobil Transporter (MT), the railcar that supports the base for the station's robotic arm.

The TUS incorporates a reel for the trailing umbilical, a power and data cable linking the station and the MT as it moves along the tracks on the truss. Program officials decided to replace the IUA after a bolt securing a backup cable cutter could not be removed during its initial installation on the STS-110 mission last April. Wolf and Sellers will move from the airlock to the MT, on the tracks of S0.

They first will remove the TUS cable, with Sellers keeping it under tension while being careful not to bend or crimp it. Wolf will loosen three cable connections, then remove the cable cutter before temporarily stowing the TUS cable. To remove the IUA itself, Wolf detaches four cable connections linking it to the MT. Then Sellers, using a pistol grip tool, removes four bolts attaching the IUA assembly to the MT. Finally he removes the IUA from its "soft dock" connection and hands it to Wolf.

Installation of the new IUA is basically the same operation in reverse, with Sellers soft docking the new unit and attaching it to the MT with four bolts. Wolf then makes the seven connections between the IUA, the MT and the TUS.

1411 GMT (10:11 a.m. EDT)

The third and final spacewalk of Atlantis' mission began at 10:11 a.m. EDT today -- 30 minutes ahead of schedule -- as David Wolf and Piers Sellers put their suits on battery power inside the Quest airlock module.

The two will make their way outside the airlock shortly to get to work on this planned six-and-a-half-hour excursion to finish outfitting and configuring the S1 truss and replace an umbilical assembly on the station's mobile railcar.

Here is the timeline of today's activities.

1404 GMT (10:04 a.m. EDT)

The airlock is nearly at vacuum. The start of the spacewalk is marked when the astronauts' suits are switched to internal battery power.

1330 GMT (9:30 a.m. EDT)

Depressurization of the airlock is now underway.

1306 GMT (9:06 a.m. EDT)

David Wolf and Piers Sellers have suited up and been the outer compartment of the Quest airlock module in preparation for the start of today's spacewalk. Depressurization of that compartment is expected to begin in the about 20 minutes. Mission Control projects the spacewalk could begin around 10 a.m. EDT, well ahead of schedule.

This will be the third and final spacewalk of Atlantis' mission. The excursion has four primary objectives:

• Connection of ammonia jumpers between S0 and S1;
  
  
• Removal of two keel pin assemblies that were used to help hold S1 in the shuttle's cargo bay;
  
  
• Installation of six final spool positioning devices;
  
  
• Repair or replacement, if necessary, of a cable cutter on Canadarm2's mobile base system, which carries the crane back and forth along the solar array truss.

0811 GMT (4:11 a.m. EDT)

The thermal systems officer reports that the radiator is now fully deployed. Two more panels on the S1 truss will remain folded shut until next year, when all three panels will be brought into use to dissipate heat from the space station's electrical systems.

The next major events will be a reboost of the station and the third and final spacewalk of Atlantis' mission, due to get underway at about 10:41 am EDT (1441 GMT).

0806 GMT (4:06 a.m. EDT)

Television pictures of the radiator deploy are once again being received. Once fully unfolded the radiator panel will extend 75 feet from the S1 truss. The thermal systems officer reports all is going well.

0803 GMT (4:03 a.m. EDT)

The initial deployment of the radiator was seen in downlink video but the station has now passed out of range of NASA's Tracking and Data Relay satellites. The television signal should be reacquired in about two minutes.

0801 GMT (4:01 a.m. EDT)

The radiator panel is in motion.

0756 GMT (3:56 a.m. EDT)

The thermal systems officer in the ISS mission control room reports that the commands are being sent to deploy the S1 radiator panel. The deployment of the concertina-like panel should take about seven minutes.

0748 GMT (3:48 a.m. EDT)

The STS-112 crew were awakened by mission control at 3:46 a.m. EDT to begin the eighth day of their mission. The first task of the day is just minutes away: the deployment of a radiator panel on the S1 truss.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2002

Astronaut Peggy Whitson, 130 days into a planned 167-day stay in space, says getting callouses on the tops of her feet, relying on her Russian commander to cut her hair and losing her taste for her favorite Earth food - shrimp - are par for the course when it comes to living in space. All in all, Whitson said today, she's having a blast. Read our full story.

2050 GMT (4:50 p.m. EDT)

NASA has postponed today's planned deployment of a radiator panel on the new S1 truss of the international space station. The folded up panel was scheduled to be extended at 4:16 p.m. EDT. Deployment is now scheduled for 3:52 a.m. EDT Monday, shortly after crew wakeup.

Officials opted to scrub the event when a protective sensor detected higher-than-expected currents in the array deployment circuitry. But troubleshooting showed there was no problem at all because the sensor had simply been set to a lower-than-needed setting. However, the extra time meant the station was moving into an orbital sunset, a live TV downlink window was closing and the crew's day was coming to an end. Because engineers on the ground want to watch the deployment via live television from the station, the unfolding was delayed.

Ground controllers did, however, send commands to rotate the large framework holding the folded radiator panels through a full 90 degrees, leaving the framework perpendicular to the S1 truss is is attached to. The coolant system in S1 will not be activated until next year. But engineers want to deploy one of the three sets of radiators to test its mechanical operation.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2002

Astronauts David Wolf and Piers Sellers completed a six-hour four-minute spacewalk Saturday, the second of three required to install, outfit and activate a 14.5-ton solar array truss segment on the international space station. Read our full story.

2055 GMT (4:55 p.m. EDT)

The end time of today's EVA was clocked at 4:35 p.m. EDT for a total duration of six hours and four minutes. Through two spacewalks of Atlantis' mission, Wolf and Sellers have logged 13 hours and five minutes.

2036 GMT (4:36 p.m. EDT)

Repressurization of the Quest airlock has begun, officially marking the end of today's spacewalk by Dave Wolf and Piers Sellers. The duo, making their second of three excursion outside the station on this shuttle mission, successfully installed a couple dozen clamps on ammonia cooling lines, mounted another external camera and continued outfitting the new S1 truss. The next spacewalk is planned for Monday.

2031 GMT (4:31 p.m. EDT)

Six hours into this EVA, the spacewalkers are back in the airlock with the hatch closed. Repressurization should start momentarily.

2000 GMT (4:00 p.m. EDT)

The spacewalkers have begun clean up chores in advance of bringing this successful EVA to an end. They will be packing away their tools, tethers and other equipment before climbing back into the airlock for repressurization.

1943 GMT (3:43 p.m. EDT)

The spacewalkers are running about 25 minutes ahead of the schedule today. So officials are looking to see if anything could be added to the EVA. They will be relocating a foot platform as a get-ahead task.

1933 GMT (3:33 p.m. EDT)

Working swiftly through their to-do list, the spacewalkers have completed installing multiple spool positioning devices on the Radiator Beam Valve Modules. They will now work on the last scheduled task of this EVA -- Radiator Beam Launch Locks.

1901 GMT (3:01 p.m. EDT)

Now four-and-a-half-hours into today's spacewalk. Installation of the spool positioning devices continues. This work will take a couple hours from start to finish.

1820 GMT (2:20 p.m. EDT)

For this upcoming job of installing more SPDs, Sellers will focus on the inboard end of S1 and the one-inch ammonia lines on Radiator Beam Valve Module (RBVM) No. 1. Wolf has replaced Sellers riding on the station's arm. He is going to the outboard end of S1 to install SPDs on one-inch ammonia line QDs at RBVM No. 6.

The RBVMs allow or prevent transfer of ammonia supply or return to or from the Radiator ORU, allows remote controlled venting of the radiator fluid loop for replacement of the Radiator ORU and provides automatic pressure relief when the Radiator ORU is over pressurized. The RBVM also measures pressure and temperature of the fluid line, provides temperature measurements of Radiator ORU environment, provides instrumentation monitoring data, and receives valve actuation command data. There are 12 RBVMs on the space station. Each measures 17 in. x 27 in. x 6 in. and weighs 56 lbs.

1758 GMT (1:58 p.m. EDT)

The spacewalkers are wrapping up their camera installation work. Once this task is finished they will move on to installation of more spool positioning devices.

1736 GMT (1:36 p.m. EDT)

Bolting of the camera to Destiny is underway.

1731 GMT (1:31 p.m. EDT)

As the spacewalk hits the three-hour mark, the spacewalkers are in the process of installing the camera stanchion to Destiny.

1714 GMT (1:14 p.m. EDT)

Mission Control reports all the launch restraint release work on CETA has been completed by the spacewalkers.

1709 GMT (1:09 p.m. EDT)

Right now the camera package, launched inside the shuttle, is being bolted to its stanchion that is installed on the S1 truss. Once the two pieces are connected, the spacewalkers will remove the stanchion from S1 and carry it to the Destiny module for attachment.

1647 GMT (12:47 p.m. EDT)

The spacewalkers are now preparing to install a new TV camera to the exterior of the station's Destiny module. That is a correction to information provided in the pre-flight news briefings in which NASA said this camera would be mounted to the Unity node.

1632 GMT (12:32 p.m. EDT)

Sellers has completed all of the connector mating with the S1's ammonia tank assembly. Mission Control reports good leak checks.

1624 GMT (12:24 p.m. EDT)

Wolf did an inspection of the capture area where the next starboard truss segment will be attached to the end of S1. He is now back at the CETA cart to start working on the launch lock release chores planned for today. Sellers continues his connection work.

1610 GMT (12:10 p.m. EDT)

Wolf has been spending some time inspecting the external TV camera package deployed on S1 during the last spacewalk. There had been some concern about the gimbal system during the work Thursday.

1557 GMT (11:57 a.m. EDT)

Sellers has made the first of two connections with the S1 ammonia tank assembly. After Mission Control does a one-minute leak check, he will make the second connection.

1545 GMT (11:45 a.m. EDT)

Wolf is setting off to the CETA cart to release the starboard brake system as well as the swing arm and coupler restraints. The cart will be used in the future to transport equipment for spacewalkers along the rail tracks of the station truss backbone.

Meanwhile, Sellers will be riding the station's arm to the ammonia tank assembly at the inboard end of S1. There he will demate two dustcaps and install the ends of two umbilicals on the tank assembly. The umblicials on the nitrogen tank assembly on the outboard side of S0 are attached there with quick-disconnects, which he will use to make the new connection. He will reinstall the dustcaps he removed from the ammonia tank assembly on the fittings that held the quick-disconnects on the nitrogen tank assembly.

1532 GMT (11:32 a.m. EDT)

After a bit of difficulty, Sellers has installed the SPDs between Z1 and Destiny. He's now putting thermal covers in place.

1508 GMT (11:08 a.m. EDT)

Sellers is now starting his work on the spool positioning devices between Z1 and Destiny. Wolf has completed his work on the two lines between Z1 and P6, and is now recovering the area with thermal blankets.

Sellers is installing two one-inch spool positioning devices to better match the position of the bodies of two quick-disconnects at the base of the Z1 truss. The installation involves rotating the quick-disconnect locking collar to the unlock position, attaching a circular section of the spool positioning device to the quick-disconnect, then adding a clamp-like device to tension it there before finally checking the spool positioning device installation and performing a pull test on the quick-disconnect.

1503 GMT (11:03 a.m. EDT)

Wolf has completed installation of the first spool positioning device today -- attaching it to a fluid line between the Z1 and P6 trusses of the international space station. Some 25 SPDs are scheduled to be installed during this spacewalk.

1450 GMT (10:50 a.m. EDT)

Both spacewalkers are now outside the Quest module. Today, Sellers will ride at the end of the arm and Wolf will be the free-floater. After some initial setup work and gathering of tools, Sellers will go to a spot near the left side of the Z1 truss and its junction with the U.S. laboratory Destiny. Wolf will make his way to the aft side of the Z1-P6 truss junction. Both will be installing spool positioning devices, clever mechanisms designed to slightly separate quick-disconnect fittings between ammonia coolant lines on different truss segments.

"We have connections where our ammonia lines are plugged together," said station program manager William Gerstenmaier. "They're called quick disconnects. In that design, there's a dual-seal configuration, where there are two seals to prevent ammonia from leaking from the line to the outside or to space.

"What engineers discovered is there's a possibility, well, in fact, it will happen, that all seals, no matter how good they are, have some leakage in them. Over time, over many, many years, a small amount of ammonia will leak from one seal into that cavity between the two seals.

"What we learned was that eventually, that space between those two seals will fill with ammonia," Gerstenmaier said. "And when it fills with ammonia, it's like putting water between two devices and when it's in there, it's what we call 'hard packed,' it's full of liquid, and the liquid doesn't have the ability, because there's no nitrogen in it, to do very much from a thermal expansion standpoint. So you put a little bit of heat in there and the pressure goes up very dramatically in that trapped volume of liquid between those two seals, it can go up to a couple of thousand psi.

"And what we further found was that that would cause one of the seals to extrude, or be pushed out into an interface and render the quick-disconnect non-functional. It also will, in some case, will actually push the quick-disconnects such that it goes closed. That's an unacceptable situation."

More than a hundred such quick-disconnect fittings eventually will be installed on the station. Spacewalking astronauts must be able to unplug and re-connect the fittings for maintenance and to re-position truss elements as assembly proceeds. The seal leakage issue posed a major headache for NASA engineers: How to fix a design flaw in hardware that had already been built?

"What we did was, we determined we could build these little spool positioning devices," Gerstenmaier said. "And what it does is, it puts the quick disconnect in an intermediate position so one of the seals is no longer sealing, the seal is bypassed. So then this little cavity that could fill with liquid can no longer fill with liquid. We were able to avoid this high-pressure situation by putting the valve in effectively an intermediate position. So this spool positioning device, what it does is it moves the quick-disconnect halfway between open and closed, moves one of the seals off the sealing surface, and then removes this problem.

"Some of the quick disconnects are dry today, they don't have ammonia in them so it's very easy and not much of a concern for us to go ahead and put these clamps, or spool positioning devices, in. But some of the quick-disconnects we'll be operating today are wet and have ammonia in them.

"We think very well there could be some of this ammonia in between these two seals, just like I described," Gerstenmaier said. "If that's the case, when the crew goes out to push the button - they have to push a button and then throw the bale to go to this intermediate position - when they go to push that button, we think there'll be a lot of pressure potentially on that button. So it'll be interesting today to see if there's pressure there.

"If our theory is right and there's some ammonia in there, we should see some resistance, we should hear some call downs from the crew. ... If we can't do that today because the button's too hard to push, we're building a device like a vise grip that'll be flown on a subsequent flight to actually depress that button. So if we don't get those done today, that's no problem."

The S1 ammonia lines will remain until the system is activated next year. The currently "wet" ammonia lines involve the station's interim cooling system mounted on a solar array truss that extends up from the station's Unity module. These are the lines and quick-disconnect fittings that might prove difficult to handle in today's spacewalk.

1431 GMT (10:31 a.m. EDT)

The 45th spacewalk devoted to international space station construction -- the second of three planned for this shuttle mission -- began at 10:31 a.m. EDT today as David Wolf and Piers Sellers put their suits on battery power inside the Quest airlock module.

The two are now preparing to climb out of the airlock to begin what is expected to be a six-and-a-half-hour excursion to continue outfitting the S1 truss, install a couple dozen clamps on ammonia cooling lines and mount another external camera package to the station.

Watch this page for periodic updates throughout the day.

1427 GMT (10:27 a.m. EDT)

Mission control reports the airlock is now at vacuum. The spacewalkers are now working to open the outer hatch.

1414 GMT (10:14 a.m. EDT)

After holding the depress at 5 psi, the final depressurization to vacuum is now underway. The official start time for the spacewalk is marked when the astronauts switch their spacesuits to internal battery power.

1350 GMT (9:50 a.m. EDT)

Depressurization of the airlock has begun.

1317 GMT (9:17 a.m. EDT)

Dave Wolf and Piers Sellers are inside the Quest airlock preparing for depressurization in advance of today's spacewalk. Activities are running about 20 minutes ahead of schedule, so the planned six-and-a-half-hour EVA could start around 10:20 a.m. EDT.

The primary goals of the second spacewalk are to:

• Install a video camera on the hull of the Unity node;
  
  
• Connect fluid lines leading to the S1's ammonia tank assembly; the truss has two tanks, each loaded with about 300 pounds of ammonia. Connecting these lines will permit ground controllers to run ammonia through the coolant system when it is activated next year;
  
  
• Finish removing launch locks holding the CETA cart in place;
  
  
• Install 25 of 31 "spool positioning devices," or SPDs, on all of the ammonia line quick-disconnect fittings currently aboard the station as well as the ones that will be used to connect ammonia lines between S1 and S0. The goal is to prevent potentially crippling problems on future assembly missions.

Read a complete preview story about this spacewalk.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2002

A software glitch that sidelined the space station's robot arm Thursday forced spacewalkers David Wolf and Piers Sellers to complete a tricky bit of station assembly by hand, a tough job that sent their heart rates soaring to some 170 beats per minute, Wolf said Friday. The two men are scheduled to make another spacewalk starting around 10:41 a.m. EDT Saturday. Read our full story.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2002

Astronauts David Wolf and Piers Sellers completed a seven-hour one-minute spacewalk Thursday, successfully wiring up a new 14.5-ton $390 million solar array truss segment that was attached to the international space station earlier in the day. Read our full story.

2250 GMT (6:50 p.m. EDT)

For the record, today's EVA ended at 6:22 p.m. EDT with repressurization of the station's Quest airlock. The spacewalk lasted seven hours and one minute. Over the 44 space station construction spacewalks, the total EVA time now stands at 272 hours and 45 minutes.

This was also the 19th station spacewalk to originate from the station itself and 10th from the Quest module.

2241 GMT (6:41 p.m. EDT)

Today's spacewalk has successfully concluded with Wolf and Sellers back in the airlock. The repressurization began, marking the end of the EVA, while the station was out of communications with the ground over the last half-hour. Thus, the official end time wasn't immediately available.

This was the 44th spacewalk dedicated to space station construction.

2202 GMT (6:02 p.m. EDT)

Sellers has completed connection of the nadir cables between the S0 truss to the S1. He is now putting thermal shrouds in place. This spacewalk is expected to end in about a half-hour.

2142 GMT (5:42 p.m. EDT)

Sellers is in the process of hooking this second bundle of cables to the newly installed S1 truss. Wolf has completed the camera connection and is now beginning the clean up chores.

2130 GMT (5:30 p.m. EDT)

The camera installation is nearing completion on the S1 truss. The camera package will be used in the future to provide additional views from the station. While Wolf continues this work, Sellers is moving on to prepare for the connection of a series of cables linking S0 and S1 on the Utilities Nadir Tray.

2116 GMT (5:16 p.m. EDT)

The spacewalkers have finished the first couple phases of TV camera system installation as the EVA nears the six hour mark. This excursion is running behind the timeline and will be lasting longer the planned six-and-a-half hours. Wolf and Sellers have more cables to connect between S0 and S1 trusses and then the clean up chores before returning to the airlock.

2057 GMT (4:57 p.m. EDT)

After being out of communications range with the ground, the spacewalkers are now working to install the TV camera group and lighting assembly.

2036 GMT (4:36 p.m. EDT)

While Wolf waits with the camera package for its upcoming mounting to the truss, Sellers continues working on the CETA cart release tasks. It appears that CETA job is nearing completion.

2025 GMT (4:25 p.m. EDT)

Today's spacewalk is passing the five-hour mark. The planned switch in control strings on the station's robotic arm is taking longer than expected. This is keeping the arm from being ready for use by the spacewalkers in attaching the external TV camera package. The spacewalkers could do this job free-floating if need be.

2000 GMT (4:00 p.m. EDT)

Wolf has gone back to the airlock to retrieve the external TV camera equipment for the upcoming installation to the S1 truss.

1949 GMT (3:49 p.m. EDT)

Mission Control reports the spacewalkers are running about 55 minutes behind schedule on their timeline. Officials are discussing having Wolf and Sellers leave CETA in a safe configuration and press on to installation of a video camera package on S1.

1931 GMT (3:31 p.m. EDT)

The spacewalkers are working to release the rest of bolts and locks that held the CETA during its launch on the S1 truss. This job will continue for a bit, ultimately allowing the cart to move on the truss' rail tracks. The parking brake will be engaged and the cart won't be tested today, however.

1917 GMT (3:17 p.m. EDT)

Wolf has successfully released all four locks on the S-band gimbal antenna. He had to increase the torque on his power tool. He's now headed to the CETA to help Sellers. CETA stands for the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid cart. CETA is like a handcar for space station's truss backbone rail line, with which spacewalkers eventually will be able to push themselves and equipment along much of the 356-foot length of the completed main truss.

1900 GMT (3:00 p.m. EDT)

While Wolf is still working on the antenna gimbal restraint bolts, which has given him a bit of trouble, Sellers is working on releasing the CETA cart launch locks.

1847 GMT (2:47 p.m. EDT)

The survival heater on the S-band antenna is being powered from Mission Control. Meanwhile, the spacewalkers have remove a shroud cover and release high-gain antenna gimbal locks.

1832 GMT (2:32 p.m. EDT)

Next in the S-band installation will be mating four connectors from S1 to the antenna system for power and data links to the SASA.

1825 GMT (2:25 p.m. EDT)

Just over three hours into this EVA, the S-band antenna support assembly (SASA) has been bolted into its deployed position on S1. The system will be used as another path for data and voice communications with Mission Control.

1802 GMT (2:02 p.m. EDT)

The spacewalkers are moving the S-band antenna from its stowed launch spot on S1 -- in the center between the keel pins -- to the deployed position on the inboard end of the truss.

1750 GMT (1:50 p.m. EDT)

Wolf continues his work to release the S-band antenna support assembly (SASA) from its launch position on S1. The new antenna will increase data and voice communications capability between the station and ground. Once the antenna is freed, Wolf will carry it to the deploy location and bolt it into place with help from Sellers.

1723 GMT (1:23 p.m. EDT)

Spacewalker Wolf is currently working on the S-band antenna system for its release from the forward face of the S1 truss and upcoming deployment. Sellers is working on bolts holding the radiator beam assembly on the other side of S1.

1654 GMT (12:54 p.m. EDT)

Wolf has completed the first round of power and data connections and is replacing the thermal blankets protecting that area. He will now move on to remove the S-band antenna support assembly from its stowed launch position.

1642 GMT (12:42 p.m. EDT)

Dave Wolf encountered the first minor snag of the spacewalk. Three cables he was attempting to connect were tied together. He was able to pull them apart and proceed with the work.

1632 GMT (12:32 p.m. EDT)

Wolf reports he is in position to make power connections between the two truss segments. Sellers continues his work with the radiator launch locks.

1620 GMT (12:20 p.m. EDT)

David Wolf, designated EV1 for today's spacewalk, is climbing into a foot restraint mounted at the end of the station's robot arm. Meanwhile, Piers Sellers is removing launch locks that restrained the trusses thermal radiators during the shuttle's ascent.

1550 GMT (11:50 a.m. EDT)

The two spacewalkers are setting up the tools and equipment needed for today's spacewalk. Video from Dave Wolf's helmet camera showed the astronaut making his way along the S1 truss.

1542 GMT (11:42 a.m. EDT)

Our first television views since the start of today's spacewalk show astronauts Piers Sellers and Dave Wolf leaving the Quest airlock hatch. The two astronauts can be distinguished by the red stripes on Wolf's spacesuit. Sellers' suit has no stripe. This is the first spacewalk for Sellers and the second for Wolf.

1530 GMT (11:30 a.m. EDT)

Today's spacewalk officially got underway at 11:21 a.m. EDT (1521 GMT) when the astronauts switched their space suits to internal battery power. The primary goal of this 6-1/2 hour excursion will be to hook up power, data and fluid connections between the S0 truss and the newly installed S1.

1519 GMT (11:19 a.m. EDT)

The spacewalkers have been given a "go" to open the airlock hatch. They have yet to switch to battery power. The thermal cover on the airlock door has been opened.

1514 GMT (11:14 a.m. EDT)

It will be another 12-13 minutes before the airlock reaches a vacuum and today's spacewalk can begin.

1503 GMT (11:03 a.m. EDT)

The crewlock compartment of the Quest airlock is now at 2.3 psi.

1500 GMT (11:00 a.m. EDT)

Work to depressurize the airlock to a vacuum is now getting underway.

1450 GMT (10:50 a.m. EDT)

The fourth bolt is now fully driven, firmly latching the two truss segments together. Depressurization of the airlock will resume in less than 10 minutes.

1444 GMT (10:44 a.m. EDT)

Depressurization of the Quest airlock is holding at 5 psi to allow for communications checks.

1440 GMT (10:40 a.m. EDT)

The fourth and final bolt that will hold the two truss segments together is now being driven. The electrically driven screws can exert anything form 8,000 to 16,000 pounds of force. The bolts are located in the four corners at the end of the truss. Meanwhile in the Destiny lab Peggy Whitson is preparing to release the station robot arm's grip on the truss. Depressurization of the Quest airlock is also underway.

1424 GMT (10:24 a.m. EDT)

Three of the four bolts that will hold the truss segments together permanently have now been driven closed.

1346 GMT (9:46 a.m. EDT)

Motorized bolts are being driven to permanently attach the the two truss segments.

1338 GMT (9:38 a.m. EDT)

The motorized claw on S0 is now fully latched to the capture bar on S1, creating a firm attachment between the two truss segments.

1330 GMT (9:30 a.m. EDT)

The motorized claw on the S0 truss is now being driven closed around the capture bar on the S1 truss.

1322 GMT (9:22 a.m. EDT)

The S1 truss is in the ready to latch position. The motorized capture claw on the S0 truss will now be engaged to firmly attach the two truss segments.

1311 GMT (9:11 a.m. EDT)

The robotics officer in mission control reports the arm is in motion to bring the two truss segments together.

1309 GMT (9:09 a.m. EDT)

Peggy Whitson is about to start moving the S1 truss to the "ready to latch" position with the S0 truss.

1250 GMT (8:50 a.m. EDT)

Station science office Peggy Whitson reports that Dave Wolf has finished putting on his space suit and Pier Sellers is about half way through the procedure to put on his suit. Atlantis commander Jeff Ashby has maneuvered the shuttle's robot arm so its camera can oversee the attachment of the S1 truss.

1155 GMT (7:55 a.m. EDT)

The Quest airlock has been depressurized to 10.2 psi as part of the procedures to ensure that spacewalkers Dave Wolf and Piers Sellers do not suffer from the bends when they enter the low pressure environment of their space suits.

1148 GMT (7:48 a.m. EDT)

The S1 truss is now being rotated to put it in line with the station's S0 truss, which was installed in April.

1135 GMT (7:35 a.m. EDT)

The space station's robot arm continues to maneuver the S1 truss along its slow path out of the payload bay. The giant girder is currently hovering above the starboard wing of Atlantis.

1103 GMT (7:03 a.m. EDT)

The S1 truss, launched to the space station aboard space shuttle Atlantis, is now clear of the orbiter's payload bay. The station's arm continues to move the truss along the path to installation this morning.

Watch this page for periodic updates throughout the day and the upcoming spacewalk.

1035 GMT (6:35 a.m. EDT)

The international space station's robotic arm has a firm grasp on the S1 truss segment riding in shuttle Atlantis' payload bay. Over the next couple of hours, the 14-ton girder will be slowly lifted out of the bay, maneuvered over the shuttle's starboard wing and put into position for mating to the station's existing S0 truss. The new S1 should be attached to the station after 9 a.m. EDT.

Station resident Peggy Whitson is the primary operator for flying the robot arm this morning. Shuttle mission specialist Sandy Magnus is playing a secondary role, handing communications, camera views and software. In a pre-flight interview, Magnus described the S1 installation:

"Basically we're going to reach over with the station arm, we're going to pick it up out of the payload bay, we kind of slide it up out of the payload bay, swing it around, get it into the install position, up, you know, aligned with S0, and then, when we bring it in to install it, there's a big claw that grabs onto a bar in the S1 and it pulls the S1 truss into S0 as we tighten the claw.

"As we tighten the claw, there's some alignment cones that allow the two trusses to line up in such a way that you can, the bolts and the nut plates between the two trusses align up. And then, once the claw is latched down and we have them real close together, we drive the bolts. And, once we drive the bolts, the EVA guys show up and start attaching fluid lines and electrical lines and data lines. So, in a nutshell, that's what we'll be doing."

The EVA, or spacewalk, is due to begin around 10:41 a.m. EDT today.

0401 GMT (12:01 a.m. EDT)

The combined space station and shuttle crews face the busiest day of Atlantis' mission today with the installation of the S1 truss and a planned six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk to make the initial connection of the electrical cables and data lines needed to bring the girder to life. Read our full preview story.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2002

The shuttle Atlantis glided to a picture-perfect docking with the international space station today, capping a flawless two-day orbital ballet that began with blastoff Monday. Read our full story.

1651 GMT (12:51 p.m. EDT)

The hatchway between the space shuttle Atlantis and the international space station is open. All 9 crew members are now together and beginning their busy timeline of joint work. After an initial welcoming ceremony, station commander Valery Korzun will give a safety briefing. Activities later in the day will include reconfiguring the suits for the spacewalks on this mission and reviewing plans for tomorrow's S1 truss install.

1649 GMT (12:49 p.m. EDT)

Well hatch opening hasn't occurred quite yet. The astronauts are still working through the final steps and they have been given a "go" from Mission Control to open the hatchway.

1611 GMT (12:11 p.m. EDT)

The joint crews are briskly working through their post-docking timeline, running an hour ahead of time. Mission Control is projecting hatch opening could occur about 20 minutes from now.

1534 GMT (11:34 a.m. EDT)

The docking ring has been fully retracted and the hooks and latches have engaged to tightly seal the shuttle to the space station. Before the hatch opening can occur in about two hours, the astronauts have to complete a series of leak and pressure checks.

1525 GMT (11:25 a.m. EDT)

After waiting a few minutes for the oscillations to damp out, the docking ring alignment has now occurred. The approval has been given by Mission Control for the shuttle crew to press on with the post-docking activities.

1517 GMT (11:17 a.m. EDT)

CONTACT AND CAPTURE! Space shuttle Atlantis has arrived at the international space station for the 15th U.S. visit to the orbiting complex. Docking occurred at 11:17 a.m. EDT, six minutes ahead of schedule, over western China.

The shuttle will spend a week at the station to add the S1, or Starboard 1, girder structure on the truss backbone and perform three spacewalks.

The relative motions of the shuttle and station will be allowed to damp out over the next few minutes by the spring-loaded docking system. Later, the hooks and latches will be closed to firmly join the two craft and Atlantis' Orbiter Docking System docking ring will be retracted to form a tight seal.

The opening of hatches between the station and shuttle is expected in about two hours. The six-member shuttle crew are the first visitors for the Expedition Five station residents since they moved aboard the complex in June.

1515 GMT (11:15 a.m. EDT)

The orientation-control gyros on the station are disabled for the linkup to keep the complex from moving, while Atlantis' thrusters are programmed to fire in a calculated way to force the two docking ports together at the point of contact.

1514 GMT (11:14 a.m. EDT)

Inside 20 feet.

1514 GMT (11:14 a.m. EDT)

The alignment between docking ports on Atlantis and the space station is acceptable and no "fly out" maneuver by the shuttle is necessary. The final approach is now in work.

1512 GMT (11:12 a.m. EDT)

Closing at a tenth of a foot per second, distance is now 48 feet.

1506 GMT (11:06 a.m. EDT)

Now 77 feet separating Atlantis and station.

1503 GMT (11:03 a.m. EDT)

Commander Jeff Ashby continues to guide Atlantis right down the corridor for today's link up with the station. No problems have been reported in the rendezvous.

1456 GMT (10:56 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is now 190 feet directly in front of the station's docking port. Docking still set for 11:24 a.m. EDT over Central China.

1448 GMT (10:48 a.m. EDT)

The shuttle is approaching to the station's front docking part along the velocity vector, or V-bar. Distance is now 282 feet, closing at one tenth of a foot per second. And the Orbiter Docking System in Atlantis' payload bay has been powered up in preparation for docking to the station in just over a half-hour.

1446 GMT (10:46 a.m. EDT)

Mission Control has given the crew of Atlantis a "go" for docking. The shuttle is now about 300 feet directly in front of the space station.

1442 GMT (10:42 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis continues its trek from below the station to a point directly in front of the orbiting complex. Distance between the two craft is currently less than 500 feet.

1435 GMT (10:35 a.m. EDT)

The Russian solar arrays are now reported to be in the proper orientation for docking. Meanwhile, the shuttle has begun the maneuver to fly from the point beneath the complex to a point in front.

1433 GMT (10:33 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is reaching the milestone point directly feet below the space station. Commander Jeff Ashby is taking over manual control for the remainder of today's rendezvous and docking of Atlantis to the international space station.

Piloting the shuttle from the aft control station on the flight deck of Atlantis, he will regularly pulse the shuttle's steering jets to keep the shuttle on the correct course.

The shuttle will make an arc from the point below to a point in front of the space station before beginning the final approach. Docking at the front of the station -- to the Destiny module -- is scheduled for 11:24 a.m. EDT.

1430 GMT (10:30 a.m. EDT)

The shuttle is now 800 feet beneath the station.

1427 GMT (10:27 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis now 900 feet, closing at 1.3 feet per second.

1424 GMT (10:24 a.m. EDT)

Now one hour from docking. Distance is 1,200 feet, closing at two.

1421 GMT (10:21 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is now 1,400 feet from the station. The station is reported in docking attitude. The U.S. solar arrays on the P6 truss have been "feathered" in preparation for docking.

1415 GMT (10:15 a.m. EDT)

The station's solar arrays are being "feathered" so they are edge-on to the approaching shuttle. This is done to protect the arrays from the shuttle's thruster plumes. Atlantis is now 3,000 feet from the station, closing at about 5 feet per second.

1409 GMT (10:09 a.m. EDT)

The third course correction maneuver -- a three-second pulse of Atlantis' thrusters -- has been completed. One more course tweak is still to come.

1405 GMT (10:05 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is now inside two miles to docking.

1358 GMT (9:58 a.m. EDT)

The approximate 20-minute process to maneuver the space station into the proper docking attitude has begun.

1356 GMT (9:56 a.m. EDT)

With three miles between the two spacecraft, the shuttle and station crews are now in radio contact. They just exchanged greetings during a brief chat.

1352 GMT (9:52 a.m. EDT)

The second in the series of course correction maneuvers has been performed by Atlantis, refining the shuttle's path to the station.

1337 GMT (9:37 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis is now 7 miles from the international space station as the rendezvous continues to progress smoothly. The two craft are flying 244 miles above the planet.

The shuttle is headed to a point 600 feet directly below the station. From there, commander Jeff Ashby will take manual control of Atlantis to fly the orbiter a quarter-loop to a spot 310 feet directly in front of the station. The slow final approach then starts as the shuttle inches closer for the precision docking around 11:24 a.m. EDT.

There isn't a specific time docking must occur, so if the approach takes a bit longer than expected it won't be a problem.

1324 GMT (9:24 a.m. EDT)

The shuttle has performed a small course correction maneuver using its thrusters. There are four opportunities during the final phase of the rendezvous to make corrections.

1318 GMT (9:18 a.m. EDT)

Docking remains set for 11:24 a.m. EDT, just over two hours from now. Here a detailed docking timeline.

1304 GMT (9:04 a.m. EDT)

With just nine miles separating Atlantis and the space station, the shuttle has fired its left orbital maneuvering system engine for the Terminal Initiation burn. The TI firing puts the shuttle on a trajectory to directly intercept the orbiting station over the next orbit and a half. This burn represents the start of Atlantis' final approach to the station after nearly two days of chasing the complex since launch.

Read our earlier status center coverage.