STS-106 Mission Control Status Report #3 Sep 9, 2000 – 8:00 a.m. CDT
Their first full
day in space was a busy one for the astronauts and cosmonauts aboard
Atlantis as they moved ever closer to an early Sunday morning linkup
with the International Space Station. Docking is scheduled to occur
at 12:52 a.m. central time Sunday as the two spacecraft soar high above
Kazakhstan.
In preparation
for that linkup, the crew spent today readying a variety of tools and
equipment needed to support the rendezvous and docking, as well as equipment
that will be used during Monday morning’s scheduled space walk.
With the assistance
of crew mate Dan Burbank, spacewalkers Ed Lu and Yuri Malenchenko checked
out the suits they will wear during their planned 6 ½ hour long
space walk Monday. Burbank will act as the in-cabin choreographer for
that space walk. Also today, Commander Terry Wilcutt and Pilot Scott
Altman verified the operation of navigational aids that will be used
during the final phases of Sunday’s rendezvous and docking.
Mission Specialist
Rick Mastracchio powered up the Shuttle’s robot arm, verifying its operation
and conducting a photographic survey of the payload bay. Cosmonaut Boris
Morukov tended to experiments and photography and television-related
activities.
Atlantis is scheduled
to begin the final phase of rendezvous about 10 p.m. tonight, closing
in toward the early Sunday docking. At present, Atlantis is approximately
1600 miles behind and slightly below the ISS, closing the distance between
them by approximately 172 miles with each orbit of the Earth.
Today, flight controllers
reported that one of Atlantis’ two onboard star trackers is not operating
properly and has been powered off. The star trackers can be used as
one method of updating navigation information aboard Atlantis. The failure
of the star tracker, a device located on the left side of Atlantis’
nose that looks upward, will have no significant impact on the planned
rendezvous and docking. The remaining star tracker can be used to perform
the needed functions.
Once docked the
astronauts and cosmonauts will briefly open the hatch between Atlantis
and the mating adapter on ISS to gather an air sample. The hatch will
then be closed in preparation for Monday morning’s space walk.
Monday evening,
the crew will open 12 hatches throughout the length of the 143-foot
long station and the attached Progress supply vehicle to begin transferring
equipment and hardware.
The crew will begin a seven hour sleep period at 10:46 a.m. today. They
will be awakened at 5:46 p.m. to begin the final rendezvous and docking.
The next STS-106 status report will be issued about 7 a.m. Sunday or
as events warrant.
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