Ashby

Melroy

Wolf

Sellers

Magnus

Yurchikhin

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STS-112 Credit - NASA

7 October 2002 19:46 GMT. Landing Date: 2002-10-18 15:43:00 PM. Flight Time: 10.83 days. Other Name: ISS-9A. Flight Up: STS-112. Flight Back: STS-112. Call Sign: Atlantis. Crew: Ashby, Melroy, Wolf, Sellers, Magnus, Yurchikhin. Program: ISS.

What went wrong: The primary hold-down bolt initiators failed; the backups functioned, blowing the bolts holding the shuttle to the pad. If they had not functioned, the shuttle would have still been attached tot he pad at SRB ignition, probably resulting in it cartwheeling to destruction. At T+33 seconds, at 3.8 km and Mach 0.75 a 5 x 6 x 30 cm corner of the external tank left bipod ramp separated, hitting the booster-tank attachment ring and making a 10 x 3 cm dent. Two flights later a similar event would doom the STS-107 crew to death. ISS Assembly flight delayed from March 22, April 4, August 22, September 28, October 2 due to payload delays and then SSME problems. American shuttle spacecraft STS-112 carried a crew of five Americans and one Russian to the International Space Station (ISS). During the 11-day mission, the crew extended the truss system of the exterior rail line with a 14-m, 13-ton girder. The crew also tested a manual cart on the rails. The cart, named CETA (Crew and Equipment Transportation Aid), was designed to increase mobility of crew and equipment during the later installation phases. STS-112 landed back in Cape Canaveral at 15:43 UT on 2002 October 18 carrying the same crew of six.

STS-112 Credit- www.spacefacts.de

Crew Members: Commander Jeffrey Ashby, Pilot Pamela Melroy, Mission Specialists David Wolf, Piers Sellers, Sandra Magnus and Fyodor Yurchikhin.

Launch Highlights

The STS-112 mission was originally scheduled to launch October 2; however, Hurricane Lili in the Gulf of Mexico threatened Mission Control at Johnson Space Center, Houston. Since the exact path was not determined until late in its forward movement, a decision was made to power down the JSC Mission Control Center and the launch was rescheduled for October 7. Atlantis then lifted off on time to deliver the 28,000 pound Starboard 1 (S1) truss segment to the International Space Station.

A problem prevented the detonation of one of two sets of small explosives that release bolts that hold the shuttle's solid rocket boosters to the launch platform and release ground connections to the external tank. A second redundant system fired normally and all pyrotechnic bolts were safely released.

Mission Highlights

Primary payloads were the S1 integrated truss segment and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts.

Activities included three spacewalks to attach the S1 truss to the space station. MS Sandra Magnus and ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson lifted the 14-ton, 45-foot S1 truss from Atlantis' payload bay using the station's Canadarm2. They then attached it to the station with four remotely operated bolts.

Other chores were repairing the station's exercise treadmill; adjusting protective circuits that measure current in the S1 truss radiator assembly to greater tolerance levels for space; removing and replacing a humidity separator in the Quest airlock.

Three spacewalks, totalling 19 hours, 41 minutes, accomplished the following:

EVA No. 1: 7 hours, 1 minute -- MS David Wolf and MS Piers Sellers hooked up power, data and fluid lines, released locks on a beam allowing the S1 radiators to be oriented for optimal cooling, deployed an antenna, and released restraints on the CETA cart.

EV A No. 2: 6 hours, 4 minutes -- Wolf and Sellers prepared CETA Cart A for future use, installed 22 Spool Positioning Devices on the space station ammonia-cooling line connections, installed an exterior TV camera outside Destiny, hooked up ammonia supply for lines to the S1 radiator, and checked equipment to be used to add the next starboard truss. Two additional SPDs would not fit and were left unattached.

EVA No. 3: 6 hours, 36 minutes -- After completing their first task, removing a bolt that prevented activation of a cable cutter on the mobile transporter, Wolf and Sellers then connected ammonia lines and removed structural support clamps that held the truss in place during launch. Working ahead of schedule, they then added a task -- installing Spool Positioning Devices on a pump motor assembly that helps circulate ammonia through the station's cooling system. The station's robotic arm, used as a work platform by the two spacewalkers, was operated by NASA's ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Mission Specialist Sandra Magnus.

Final activities on the space station included transferring the last of the equipment and supplies from Atlantis, and packing items for return on the orbiter. In all, 1,800 pounds were transferred and an equivalent amount stored for the journey back.

The STS-112 mission was to deliver the S1 (Starboard 1) truss to the Station, and attach it to the end of S0. S1 mostly consisted of a thermal control system, with big ammonia cooling loops and three large radiator panels each 3.3m x 22.9m. The three panels were attached to a single base structure which could rotate relative to the truss to orient the radiators. On the other side of the truss was the CETA cart, which was to be used to ferry equipment along the mobile transporter railway. S1 was built by Boeing/Huntingdon Beach and Boeing/Huntsville..

Cargo Bay Manifest estimate for STS-112:

• Bay 1-2: Orbiter Docking System - 1800 kg + 2 EMU spacesuits 240 kg
• Bay 3-13: S1 Integrated Truss Segment - 12572 kg + CETA Cart A - 283 kg
• Sill: RMS - 410 kg
• Total: 15305 kg

Atlantis took off from Kennedy Space Center to a 58 x 227 km x 51.6 deg orbit. The OMS-2 burn at 20:28 GMT raised the perigee to 158 km. Atlantis docked with the Station on October 9 at 1517 GMT, with hatch opening at 16

50 GMT. On October 10 the Station SSRMS grappled the S1 truss in Atlantis' payload bay, unberthing it at 10:47 GMT and connecting it to the end of the S0 truss at 13:36 GMT.

Atlantis undocked from the ISS on October 16 at 13:13 GMT. It flew around the station and departed the area at 15:01 GMT. A braking burn at around 20:30 GMT on October 17 reduced the perigee from 373 to 273 km. On October 18 at 14:36 GMT the deorbit burn further lowered the perigee to 18 km. Atlantis re-entered the atmosphere at 15:12 GMT, landing at Kennedy Space Center at 15:43 GMT.

• 2002 Oct 7 - STS-112  Crew: Ashby, Melroy, Wolf, Sellers, Magnus, Yurchikhin. Spacecraft: Atlantis. Payload: Atlantis F26 / S1. Mass: 116,640 kg (257,140 lb). Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Shuttle. Duration: 10.83 days. Perigee: 273 km (169 mi). Apogee: 405 km (251 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 91.30 min.

  ISS Assembly flight delayed from March 22, April 4, August 22, September 28, October 2 due to payload delays and then SSME problems. American shuttle spacecraft STS-112 carried a crew of five Americans and one Russian to the International Space Station (ISS). During the 11-day mission, the crew extended the truss system of the exterior rail line with a 14-m, 13-ton girder. The crew also tested a manual cart on the rails. The cart, named CETA (Crew and Equipment Transportation Aid), was designed to increase mobility of crew and equipment during the later installation phases. STS-112 landed back in Cape Canaveral at 15:43 UT on 2002 October 18 carrying the same crew of six.

• 2002 Oct 7 - STS-112 MCC Status Report #01 

  With hardware and the weather finally in order, Atlantis lifted off at 2:46 p.m. Central time today from Launch Pad 39-B at the Kennedy Space Center to deliver the 28,000 pound Starboard 1 (S1) truss segment to the International Space Station.

  Aboard Atlantis are Commander Jeff Ashby, Pilot Pam Melroy and Mission Specialists Dave Wolf, Sandy Magnus, Piers Sellers and Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin. A small television camera on the shuttle's external fuel tank captured a unique view of the Earth as Atlantis headed into orbit.

  Less than nine minutes after launch, Atlantis and its crewmembers settled into orbit and work began to prepare for a planned 11-day mission.

  As Atlantis headed toward space, on board the ISS, Expedition 5 Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev were completing their 124th day in orbit and their 122nd day aboard the station. At the time of Atlantis' launch, the space station orbited 240 statute miles above the Pacific Ocean west of Ecuador.

  Atlantis' crew is setting up equipment on board and preparing to open the shuttle's payload bay doors to begin orbital operations prior to heading to bed just before 9 p.m.

  Atlantis is scheduled to dock to the station at about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, setting the stage for the installation of the S1 truss on the starboard side of the S0 truss, which arrived at the ISS in April. Three spacewalks are scheduled during the mission by Wolf and Sellers to help activate the new truss' systems. The S1 truss is the fourth of 11 truss segments which will form the structural backbone for the station and provide the cooling and support for new solar arrays to be delivered to the station next year.

  The shuttle crew will be awakened at 4:46 a.m. Tuesday to begin its first full day in orbit and to prepare for Wednesday's docking.

• 2002 Oct 8 - STS-112 MCC Status Report #02 

  As Atlantis continues its pursuit of the International Space Station with docking planned at 10:24 a.m. Wednesday, crewmembers began a day of preparation for the linkup with the orbiting laboratory.

  Aboard Atlantis, Commander Jeff Ashby, Pilot Pam Melroy and Mission Specialists Dave Wolf, Sandy Magnus, Piers Sellers and Cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin were awakened at 4:46 a.m. to the song "Venus and Mars" by Paul McCartney and Wings. It was for Wolf, requested by his wife, Tammy.

  The Expedition Five crew, Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Cosmonaut Sergei Treschev – in their 18th week in space – were awakened at 3 a.m. Atlantis' crew will be their first visitors since June. They are shifting their sleep schedules to prepare for the week of docked operations with Atlantis.

  Today, Atlantis' crew focuses on preparations for rendezvous and docking by checking out the necessary tools. The crew also will prepare the spacesuits to be used during the three planned spacewalks by Wolf and Sellers scheduled for Thursday, Saturday and Monday. The shuttle's robotic arm also will be checked out and used to survey the payload bay, including the Starboard 1 (S1) Truss.

  This afternoon the centerline camera will be mounted in the Orbiter Docking System hatch to assist Ashby as he guides the orbiter in for docking. The crew then will extend the docking ring, which makes first contact with the station.

  The station crew is continuing with science operations and standard exercise activities. Whitson is working with radiation monitors for Wolf and Sellers, who will conduct the spacewalks to hook up the S1 after it is lifted from Atlantis' cargo bay and installed on the station Thursday. She will activate the monitor's badge readers and do pre-spacewalk background readings.

  Atlantis' crew is scheduled to begin an eight-hour sleep period at about 6:30 p.m. today.

• 2002 Oct 8 - STS-112 MCC Status Report #03 

  After Monday's exciting launch, the STS-112 crew today settled into preparations for Wednesday's rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station, and the first of three spacewalks Thursday.

  After arising at 4:46 a.m. CDT, the crew began its first full day on orbit with Pilot Pam Melroy assisting Mission Specialists Dave Wolf and Piers Sellers in a checkout of spacewalk suits and equipment. Commander Jeff Ashby worked with the prime robotic arm operator, Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus, to verify the arm's readiness. Ashby and Magnus powered up the arm for a video survey of Atlantis' payload bay.

  In preparation for Wednesday's rendezvous and docking with the station at 10:24 a.m., the crew set up the orbiter docking system's centerline camera, extended the orbiter's spring-loaded ring that will make first contact, and checked out rendezvous tools.

  The crew successfully completed three Orbital Maneuvering System burns to boost the orbiter into the station's orbit and refine its approach path to the station.

  Science already is getting underway on Atlantis with Wolf leading check-out activities for the SHIMMER experiment sponsored by the Naval Research Lab. The Spatial Heterodyne Imager for Mesospheric Radicals experiment uses an ultraviolet sensing camera to observe the Earth's atmosphere at 40-90 kilometers looking for possible ozone loss. The experiment proved a bit balky, but with help from Mission Control the crew worked out steps to ready the gear for observations during the mission.

  Meanwhile, the space station residents readied their home for the first visitors in the123 days since their arrival at the vehicle. Peggy Whitson and crewmates Valery Korzun and Sergei Treschev have been prepacking materials to return on Atlantis and to make room for about 7,500 pounds of gear arriving at the station.

  Whitson has been sending letters describing her life on the International Space Station back to Earth over the last few months. Her most recent letter describes her anticipation and preparations for the shuttle visitors.

  Both crews will head for sleep two hours earlier than Monday at 6:46 pm to get plenty of rest before Wednesday's busy day. Rendezvous operations begin at 5:06 a.m., with station docking scheduled for 10:24 a.m. Hatch opening between Atlantis and the station is expected at 12:36 p.m.

• 2002 Oct 9 - STS-112 MCC Status Report #04 

  A rendezvous in space awaits Space Shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station this morning with docking expected at 10:24 a.m. Central time. The shuttle's six crewmembers are the first visitors for the station's Expedition Five crew since it arrived aboard the station in early June. The week of joint operations begins when the hatches are opened about 12:30 p.m. Television of the approach, docking and hatch opening is expected on NASA TV.

  Shortly after the musical wakeup call to the crew at 2:46 this morning – Tina Turner's "The Best" for Commander Jeff Ashby from his wife, Paige – the shuttle crew focused its attention on the rendezvous and docking procedures that will culminate with the orbiter docking to a port on the U.S. Destiny Lab of the station.

  The Terminal Initiation burn preceding the final approach is planned for 8:04 a.m. and occurs with the two spacecraft 50,000 feet apart. That is followed by a series of four small correction burns, which set the stage for Ashby's taking manual control of Atlantis' thruster jets as he looks out the overhead and rear windows of the flight deck. He will fly Atlantis to a point 600 feet below the station, then begin a quarter circle alignment of the orbiter's docking system and Destiny, which will place the shuttle about 300 feet in front of the station.

  Assisting with the rendezvous using lasers and computers are the remaining shuttle crewmembers, including Pilot Pam Melroy and Mission Specialists Dave Wolf, Sandy Magnus, Piers Sellers and Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin.

  Awaiting the arrival of Atlantis are the three station crewmembers – Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev – in their 126th day in space.

  Thursday will see the installation of the station's newest component – the Starboard 1 (S1) Truss – and shortly thereafter, the first of three planned spacewalks will begin by Wolf and Sellers to connect power, data and fluid lines between S1 and the station.

  Crew sleep is set to begin about 6:30 this evening.

• 2002 Oct 9 - STS-112 MCC Status Report #05 

  The crew of the International Space Station welcomed the first visitors to its home in space today when the hatch between the space station and the space shuttle Atlantis was opened at 11:51 a.m. CDT. Hugs and smiles, backslapping and laughter marked the elated celebration as the shuttle crew entered the International Space Station and greeted the expedition crew. Earlier, guided by Commander Jeff Ashby, Atlantis made a picture-perfect rendezvous and docked with the station at 10:17 a.m. at the end of a chase that began with its launch at 2:46 p.m. on Monday. With the crewmembers merged into a single team, they went to work on preparations for the mission's busiest day tomorrow.

  All efforts pointed toward the deployment and installation of the Starboard One (S1) Truss. Pilot Pam Melroy, Space Station Commander Valery Korzun, and Mission Specialists Dave Wolf, Piers Sellers, and Fyodor Yurchikhin configured the spacesuits for Thursday's spacewalk. Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus and NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson reviewed robotic arm operations for moving the new truss segment into place. Sergei Treschev, ISS Flight Engineer, participated in the safety briefing for the station visitors.

  Thursday, Magnus and Whitson will use the Canadarm2 from inside Destiny to grapple the huge S1 Truss, take it out of Atlantis' payload bay and move it into position at the starboard end of the S0 Truss. After the segments are soft-mated, capture bolts will make the mating solid. With the truss firmly attached to the station, the spacewalkers will exit the station.

  Tomorrow's EVA begins three days of spacewalks – Thursday, Saturday and Monday - at the station-shuttle complex. Shuttle and Mir veteran Wolf and space rookie Sellers will perform the EVAs, which are primarily focused on the installation and hookup of the S1 segment. In Thursday's six-hour spacewalk, Wolf and Sellers will connect power, data and fluid umbilicals between the segments; install a camera and antenna assembly; and release a number of launch restraints. Wolf will ride on the end of the robotic arm for most of the excursion, while Sellers will be a "free floater" moving around the truss structure.

  Tonight the crew is scheduled to begin its sleep period at 6:46 p.m. with the wake-up call to sound at 3:16 a.m. Thursday.

• 2002 Oct 10 - EVA STS-112-1  Crew: Wolf, Sellers. EVA Type: Extra-Vehicular Activity. EVA Duration: 0.29 days.

  The astronauts exited from the ISS Quest module at 1518 UTC. They connected fluid lines and installed equipment on the S1 truss installed to the ISS five hours earlier.

• 2002 Oct 10 - STS-112 MCC Status Report #06 

  The International Space Station is a construction site in orbit once again as Space Shuttle Atlantis and Expedition Five crewmembers today prepare to install the next segment of the station's backbone – the Starboard One (S1) Truss.

  Expedition Five's Peggy Whitson and Atlantis' Sandy Magnus will use the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to install the 45-foot long, 15-ton structure beginning about 5:30 this morning. Simultaneously, Astronauts Dave Wolf and Piers Sellers will prepare for the first of three spacewalks to attach plumbing, data and electrical lines to bring S1 to life. They plan to exit the Quest Airlock at about 9:40 a.m. and can easily be identified while outside. Wolf will wear a suit with solid red stripes, while Sellers will wear an all white spacesuit.

  Throughout the spacewalk, Pilot Pam Melroy will be inside offering guidance and advice to the spacewalkers and keeping them on schedule. Shuttle Commander Jeff Ashby will operate the shuttle robotic arm providing camera views for documentation.

  Following grapple of the S1, Magnus and Whitson will move it into position at the starboard end of the first truss segment where it will be secured in place by four remotely operated bolts. That first segment was delivered on a shuttle flight earlier this year.

  In addition to hooking up power, data and fluid lines, Wolf and Sellers will release locks on a beam allowing S1's radiators to be oriented for optimal cooling. They also will deploy an antenna and release restraints on a handcar, which can be used to move spacewalkers and equipment along the truss. The next spacewalk, or Extravehicular Activity (EVA) is planned for Saturday to continue hooking S1 connections to the station.

  S1 is the third of what will be 11 segments of the Integrated Truss delivered to the station. The truss eventually will stretch 356 feet from end to end and will support four huge solar wing assemblies, one pair of which is already atop the station's P6 Truss. The truss also will support cooling radiators and the first railroad in space, capable of carrying the robotic arm to assembly and maintenance sites around the station.

  The workday began at 3 a.m. with a musical wakeup call to Atlantis' crew from Mission Control, Houston. The "medley of childhood songs" was played for Magnus from her family. The Expedition Five crew, Commander Valery Korzun, Whitson and Cosmonaut Sergei Treschev, woke aboard the station at the same time.

  The crew is scheduled to go to bed about 8 o'clock this evening.

• 2002 Oct 10 - STS-112 MCC Status Report #07 

  Astronauts Dave Wolf and Piers Sellers completed all planned International Space Station assembly tasks today during a 7-hour, 1-minute spacewalk, an excursion focused on attaching the next segment of the station's backbone – the Starboard One (S1) Truss – to the Starboard Zero (S0) Truss.

  Expedition Five's Peggy Whitson and Atlantis' Sandy Magnus used the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to grapple the 45-foot-long, 14-ton S1 structure, remove it from Atlantis' cargo bay and move it to the starboard end of S0. Motorized bolts locked the two truss segments together at 8:36 a.m. CDT.

  Wolf and Sellers ventured outside the station's Quest airlock at 10:21 a.m. Their first task was to connect power, data and fluid lines between the S0 and the S1 trusses. As Wolf worked to accomplish this task, Sellers, on his first spacewalk, released the locks on three folded-up radiators mounted to the S1, allowing S1's radiators to be oriented for optimal cooling

  Wolf and Sellers then worked together to install a new S-band antenna assembly. Wolf, attached to the end of the station robotic arm, moved the antenna into position. He then tightened stanchion bolts to lock the antenna into place near the end of the S1 Truss where it connects to the S0 as Sellers held it in place. The new component will increase the S-band data and voice communications capability from the space station to ground controllers.

  The duo then went to work releasing restraints that had held the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) cart to the S1 for launch and configure its brakes. The CETA cart, a handcar that rides along rails on the station's truss, can be used to move spacewalkers and equipment.

  Installation of the S1's outboard nadir external camera was the final major task of the spacewalk. The camera, launched on Atlantis' middeck, is the first of two that will be installed on S1. They will be used as situational awareness tools for spacewalkers and robotic arm operators.

  Throughout the spacewalk, Pilot Pam Melroy was inside, offering guidance and advice to the spacewalkers and keeping them on schedule. She had help with arm operations and spacewalk guidance from controllers in the International Space Station Flight Control Room because the spacewalk originated out of the station's Quest airlock. Shuttle Commander Jeff Ashby operated the shuttle robotic arm, providing camera views for documentation.

  Following an inventory of the tools they used during the spacewalk and cleanup activities, Wolf and Sellers re-entered Quest. Airlock repressurization began at 5:22 p.m., signaling the end of the spacewalk.

• 2002 Oct 11 - STS-112 MCC Status Report #08 

  With a major milestone of the STS-112 mission behind them, Space Shuttle Atlantis and International Space Station crewmembers will have a quieter day today. Following some time off to relax, the joint crews later will begin transferring equipment and supplies to the orbiting laboratory.

  On Thursday, crewmembers attached the 14-ton, 45-foot Starboard One (S1) truss to the station, using the station's Canadarm2 operated by Atlantis' Sandy Magnus and NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson. That was followed by the first of three planned spacewalks by Dave Wolf and Piers Sellers to complete a series of tasks, including connecting power lines to the station.

  The spacewalk lasted 7 hours, 1 minute and brings the total time for ISS assembly via Extravehicular Activity (EVA) to 272 hours, 45 minutes.

  In addition to the time off and transfer operations, Wolf and Sellers will prepare the tools and other equipment for use during tomorrow's second spacewalk. Just before their evening meal, crewmembers will gather to review Quest Airlock procedures for the spacewalk, which is expected to begin about 9:40 a.m. Saturday.

  The crew will take part in two interviews today. First, the three Russian crewmembers – Expedition Five Commander Valery Korzun, Expedition Five Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev and STS-112 Mission Specialist Fyodor Yurchikhin – will discuss the mission with Russian press beginning at 10:46 a.m. Later in the day at 1:56 p.m., Wolf, Sellers, Magnus and possibly other crewmembers will be interviewed by CBS Radio, Fox News and the Cable News Network (CNN). Both interviews can be seen on NASA Television.

  Today's wakeup call to Pilot Pam Melroy and the rest of Atlantis' crew came at 3:46 a.m. "Oh Thou Tupelo," performed by the Wellesley College Choir, was for Melroy, a 1983 graduate. The station crew woke up about 4:15 a.m. today.

  The Atlantis and ISS complex is orbiting the Earth every 92 minutes at an altitude of 244 statute miles.

• 2002 Oct 11 - STS-112 MCC Status Report #09 

  After a very busy day Thursday, the combined shuttle and space station crew took several hours of off-duty time today, and then began transfer operations between the vehicles and preparations for the second of the mission's three spacewalks scheduled to begin at 9:41 a.m. Saturday.

  The crew moved a number of scientific experiments back and forth between the vehicles to return completed experiments to Earth and deploy new experiments at the station. Transfer items included a set of liver cell tissue samples from an experiment studying the function of human liver cells in microgravity, moved from the station onto the shuttle for return to Earth. Payload experiments such as Marshall Space Flight Center's protein crystal growth thermal enclosures for growing high-quality protein crystals in micro-gravity experiments were moved to and from the station. Seven water containers were transferred to the station.

  Commander Jeff Ashby initiated a nitrogen transfer process that moved about 15 pounds of the gas from the shuttle to the station by the end of Friday. About another 35 pounds will be transferred through Flight Day 8.

  STS-112 spacewalkers Dave Wolf and Piers Sellers, assisted by Pilot Pam Melroy, readied the EVA equipment for Saturday's excursion outside the station-shuttle complex. They recharged water on the extravehicular mobility unit, configured their tools and prepared the airlock.

  Since it wasn't an EVA day, there was time for the crew to relate their experiences to several media organizations during live interviews. STS-112 Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus, Wolf and Sellers discussed Thursday's EVA and first-time experiences in space with CBS Radio Network and Cable News Network (CNN). Russian Commander Valery Korzun, Expedition Five Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev and STS-112 Mission Specialist Fyodor Yurchikhin participated in several interviews with the Russian press.

  This evening, shortly before sleep, the crew reviewed procedures for tomorrow's spacewalk. Saturday the spacewalkers reverse positions for most of the EVA, with Sellers riding the arm and Wolf free-floating while tethered to the station. They'll attach umbilicals, install a second camera - this time on the U.S. laboratory Destiny, install spool positioning devices to quick disconnect fittings on ammonia lines and release radiator beam launch locks.

  Completing the day, the crew had a joint meal in the Service Module. Wake up time Saturday is 4:16 a.m.

• 2002 Oct 12 - EVA STS-112-2  Crew: Wolf, Sellers. EVA Type: Extra-Vehicular Activity. EVA Duration: 0.26 days.

  Second spacewalk to continue installation activities on the S1 truss began at 1429 UTC.

• 2002 Oct 12 - STS-112 MCC Status Report #10 

  Focus of attention aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station once again is outside the complex as Astronauts Dave Wolf and Piers Sellers conduct the second of three planned spacewalks to bring the station's newest component – the Starboard 1 (S1) Truss – to life.

  The Extravehicular Activity, or EVA, is set to begin about 9:40 this morning and is planned to last about 6 1/2 hours. It includes installation of devices to prevent pressure buildup in line fittings; connecting cooling system lines; removing launch restraints from a radiator which will be deployed Sunday, and installing a second camera.

  The Spool Positioning Devices (SPDs) are designed to prevent pressure buildup in Quick Disconnect fittings, which could make it impossible to disconnect fittings, if necessary. Sellers and Wolf will install 24 of the devices – most of which are on ammonia lines – during the spacewalk.

  Sellers, in the all-white spacesuit, will ride the station's robotic arm to the S1 Truss worksite to hook up nitrogen lines used to pressurize the ammonia system, while Wolf, wearing the suit with red stripes, releases launch restraints on the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid – a handcar on the truss rails. Peggy Whitson, NASA ISS science officer, and Atlantis' Sandy Magnus will operate the robot arm. As with the first spacewalk Thursday, Pilot Pam Melroy will choreograph the EVA from Atlantis' flight deck.

  Prior to the spacewalk, Commander Jeff Ashby and Melroy will gently raise the altitude of the station by firing small thrusters on Atlantis. This reboost maneuver will increase the altitude of the complex from 238 statute miles (383 kilometers) to 242 sm (389 km).

  Atlantis' crew was awakened at 2:46 a.m. today by the song "Push It," performed by the group Garbage. It was for Sellers, requested by his family. The station crew woke up about 30 minutes later.

  Atlantis and station crewmembers are scheduled to go to bed about 7:30 tonight.

• 2002 Oct 12 - STS-112 MCC Status Report #11 

  Astronauts Dave Wolf and Piers Sellers moved smoothly and ahead of schedule through their second spacewalk of the week today, continuing to bring the International Space Station's newest component to life and installing devices to prevent future difficulties with station cooling connections.

  The spacewalk began at 9:31 a.m. CDT and ended about a half-hour early at about 3:35 p.m. CDT for an official duration of six hours, four minutes. About six and a half hours had originally been allotted for the spacewalk, the second of three ventures outside the station planned for Wolf and Sellers during STS-112 to set up the new station S1 (S-One) truss segment delivered by Atlantis.

  The duo prepared a new handcar system for future use on the station's truss-mounted railway. Called the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid, the car will allow astronauts to propel themselves, maintenance and construction equipment hand-over-hand along what eventually will be a 100-yard railway atop the station's truss. The spacewalkers also installed 22 Spool Positioning Devices (SPDs) on station ammonia cooling line connections, devices that will prevent a possible condition that could lock up those connections, preventing them from being opened if needed.

  Two more such devices were to be installed during the spacewalk, bringing the total to 24, but they were not attached. Due to a different configuration than anticipated on the two line connections in question, the additional two SPDs would not have fit properly. However, space station engineers and managers have determined those two connections are in a satisfactory condition and will not require any further work.

  Other work included the installation of an additional exterior station television camera outside of the Destiny Laboratory; hooking up an ammonia supply for lines to a radiator on the new truss segment that will be deployed Monday afternoon; and checking equipment that will be used to add the next starboard truss segment to the station in the fall of 2003.

  During today's spacewalk, STS-112 Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus and ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson operated the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm, using it to position the spacewalkers at various times. Prior to today's outing by Wolf and Sellers, Atlantis Commander Jeff Ashby and Pilot Pam Melroy fired the shuttle's small steering jets periodically over the course of an hour to boost the altitude of the shuttle and station by about 4 statute miles. The shuttle will perform another boost of altitude for the complex tomorrow, raising it an additional 2 miles.

  The station and shuttle crews will begin a sleep period at 7:46 p.m. CDT and awaken at 3:46 a.m. CDT Sunday.

• 2002 Oct 13 - STS-112 MCC Status Report #12 

  The joint crews of Space Shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station will transfer supplies and equipment between the two spacecraft today and also prepare for the final spacewalk of the mission.

  The nine astronauts and cosmonauts also will conduct a press briefing from the U.S. Laboratory Destiny at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. The news conference will air live on NASA Television.

  Later today, one of the radiators on the newly installed S1 Truss will be remotely deployed to verify the connections established on the first spacewalk last Thursday. Its extended length will be 75 feet with each of the eight panels being 11 feet wide. The cooling system will not formally be activated until next year.

  One major task inside the station today is the replacement of the exercise treadmill's vibration dampening system. The treadmill is located in the Russian Zvezda module – the station's living quarters – and is designed to significantly reduce or eliminate vibration during workouts that otherwise could negatively affect sensitive experiments being conducted on board. The unit is one of the major exercise devices aboard the station, and important in maintaining fitness during long-duration spaceflight.

  Transfer work continues through much of the day while oxygen is transferred from Atlantis to high-pressure storage tanks on the outside of the Quest Airlock.

  In preparation for Monday's spacewalk, the suits will be recharged with water, and tools will be configured. Prior to going to bed, all nine crewmembers will review spacewalk and airlock procedures.

  The day began with a wakeup call at 4:07 a.m. for Mission Specialist Fyodor Yurchikhin. The "Aviation March," composed by Isaac Dunaevsky, is the hymn of the Moscow Aviation Institute, Yurchikhin's alma mater.

• 2002 Oct 13 - STS-112 MCC Status Report #13 

  Astronauts and cosmonauts on board Atlantis and the International Space Station spent today transferring supplies and hardware, and preparing for Monday's third and final spacewalk of the mission.

  The Expedition 5 station crew spent a big part of its day taking apart the station's exercise treadmill, installing replacement parts and putting the system back together. Engineers on the ground quickly pulled together a backup plan for the task when the on-orbit maintenance team reported a broken cable on the gyroscope that is part of the vibration dampening system for the treadmill. Using some Teflon and Kapton tape to protect metal parts that might rub together until a new cable can be delivered to the station, the crewmembers were able to put the system back together so that it could be restored to fully operational status. After a final test Monday, exercise on the treadmill will resume.

  One planned activity was deferred until tomorrow. The radiator assembly on the newly installed S1 Truss was rotated into position today, but the first radiator deployment won't occur until 2:52 a.m. central time Monday. The radiator was slated to be deployed Sunday afternoon, but protective circuits designed to measure current during preliminary steps needed to be adjusted. The tolerance levels set during ground testing needed to be expanded to a greater tolerance level in space. With that complete, ground controllers elected to defer actual deployment until early Monday morning, when they will be able to watch the deployment live.

  Final preparations for Monday's spacewalk, slated to begin at 9:41 a.m., included a review of procedures, and recharging of the suits to be worn by Dave Wolf and Piers Sellers. During the planned 6 1/2-hour-long spacewalk, Wolf and Sellers will remove and replace an interface cable to the station's mobile transporter unit, or railcar. With that complete, they will install a series of fluid jumpers that will allow ammonia coolant to flow between the S0 and S1 trusses. That activity is expected to last about 1 1/2 hours. They also will install the last of the spool position devices on quick disconnect fittings in the ammonia lines.

  All nine crew members took time out today to talk with media gathered at the Johnson Space Center in Houston and Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The astronauts and cosmonauts fielded questions about life on board the station and the upcoming return of the Expedition 5 crew in November.

  Atlantis' crew will awaken at 2:46 a.m. Monday, with the station crew arising about 30 minutes later.

• 2002 Oct 14 - EVA STS-112-3  Crew: Wolf, Sellers. EVA Type: Extra-Vehicular Activity. EVA Duration: 0.28 days.

  Third spacewalk to complete installation of the S1 truss began at 1408 UTC. The pair carried out repairs to the Mobile Transporter on S0, connected fluid lines, and removed the keel pins on S1.

• 2002 Oct 14 - STS-112 MCC Status Report #14 

  Another spacewalk is the order of business aboard Atlantis and the International Space Station today to complete the installation and checkout of the newly installed truss segment.

  Dave Wolf and Piers Sellers once again will conduct the spacewalk out of the Quest Airlock beginning about 9:40 this morning. It is the 46th spacewalk devoted to the assembly and maintenance of the station. Today they will focus on the removal and stowage of launch support brackets no longer required; installation of additional clamps on fittings to prevent pressure buildup in fluid lines; install an attach bracket for a future station truss element; and remove a balky bolt preventing activation of a cable cutter on the Mobile Transporter.

  Ahead of the spacewalk, Atlantis' thrusters will again be used to gently raise the station's altitude another couple of miles. The reboost lasts about 35 minutes and sets the stage for the arrival of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft set to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Oct. 28. The Soyuz serves as the emergency rescue vehicle of the station and must be replaced about every six months.

  Shortly after crew wakeup today, one of the three cooling radiators on the newly installed S1 Truss was deployed serving as a mechanical test for the deployment system. The deployment to its full length of 75 feet began at 3:01 a.m. and was completed nine minutes later. The task was delayed from Sunday for an electrical adjustment. The radiator is not needed operationally until next year.

  Peggy Whitson, NASA ISS science officer, and Atlantis' Sandy Magnus will operate the station's robot arm throughout the spacewalk, while Pilot Pam Melroy will again choreograph the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) from Atlantis' flight deck. Wolf will wear the spacesuit with red stripes and Sellers' suit will be all white.

  Today's wakeup music for Dave Wolf from his wife Tammy was "You Gave Me The Answer," by Paul McCartney and Wings and came at 2:46 a.m. The station crewmembers awakened about 30 minutes later.

• 2002 Oct 14 - STS-112 MCC Status Report #15 

  The third and final spacewalk of the mission concluded at 3:47 p.m. 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 9:11 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 3:46 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.

• 2002 Oct 15 - STS-112 MCC Status Report #16 

  Now that the outside work has been completed with the third spacewalk Monday, crewmembers aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station today turn their attention to the remaining inside work to be done prior to the shuttle's departure Wednesday from the ever growing orbital outpost.

  The six shuttle crewmembers leave the complex tomorrow a bit heavier and more capable than it was prior to their arrival a week ago. The space station now has a mass in space of about 366,277 pounds (166,118 kilograms) and is 171 feet long, 240 feet wide and 90 feet high. The S1 (Starboard One) Truss added 15 tons (13,600 kilograms) to the station's mass.

  After undocking tomorrow, scheduled for 8:13 a.m., the shuttle will perform at least a half lap fly around of the station for photo documentation before it fires thrusters to separate and bid the station farewell after a week's worth of joint operations.

  Once back on their own, the Expedition Five voyagers - 131 days into their mission, 129 as station crewmembers - turn their attention to completing the unpacking of a Russian Progress supply vehicle, which arrived at the station in late September, and packing up belongings for their own return home scheduled for late November aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour, which is bringing another station truss segment and the Expedition Six crew.

  Between now and then, however, Expedition Five will receive more guests from Earth when a new Russian Soyuz spacecraft and crew arrive late this month following launch Oct. 28 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz serves as an emergency return vehicle and must be swapped about every six months.

  The shuttle and station crews have a few hours of free time today - a welcome opportunity to visit with each other before tomorrow's undocking and departure of Atlantis. Work continues this afternoon with the transfer of the final powered payload to be moved from the shuttle to the ISS. In addition to the S1 Truss, Atlantis brought up about a ton of supplies for the station. Also, the rendezvous tools will be checked out in preparation for undocking.

  "Only an Ocean Away," performed by Sarah Brightman for Sandy Magnus, awakened Atlantis' crewmembers at 3:48 a.m. It was requested by her jogging friends.

• 2002 Oct 15 - STS-112 MCC Status Report #17 

  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 2:46 a.m. CDT Wednesday and begin final departure preparations. The two crews will conduct a final farewell ceremony at 5:59 a.m., then gather on the opposite sides of their hatches and close the doors.

  Undocking is scheduled for 8:13 a.m. 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.

• 2002 Oct 16 - STS-112 MCC Status Report #18 

  With their week's worth of work completed, astronauts and cosmonauts aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station bid farewell to one another and closed the hatches in preparation for the shuttle's undocking scheduled for 8:13 this morning.

  Following undocking, Atlantis will back away from the ISS to a distance of about 450 feet before completing at least a half lap fly around of the complex with its new truss segment installed before departing the station's vicinity at 10 a.m. and prepare to come home to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10:45 Friday morning. Expedition Five's ride home is next month aboard Endeavour following its mission to deliver a mirror image truss segment to the S1.

  Atlantis departs after delivering about 1,800 pounds of supplies and experiments to the station and returning about the same weight of cargo to Earth. It also leaves behind the S1 (Starboard One) Truss segment weighing almost 15 tons and spanning 45 feet. It continues the outward expansion of the truss that eventually will be 356 feet long.

  The work to install the S1 was accomplished during three spacewalks totaling more than 19 hours that included hooking up power, data and ammonia lines linking S1 to the station; deploying antennas, installing TV cameras, preparing a handcar for use on the truss' railway, readying S1's three large radiators for use and installing devices to ensure quick disconnect fittings in fluid lines will work.

  Later this morning, the shuttle performs its own experiment when SHIMMER is activated to measure Hydroxyl in the upper atmosphere. Hydroxyl plays a role in the ozone destroying chemical process and helps in measuring water vapor and temperature over a broad altitude range.

  The day began for the shuttle and station crews with a wakeup call from Mission Control at 2:52 a.m. The Alan Parsons Project's "Prime Time" was played for Pilot Pam Melroy, requested by her husband, Chris.

• 2002 Oct 16 - STS-112 MCC Status Report #19 

  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 10 a.m., 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 2:16 a.m. to begin what should be its final full day in orbit with landing scheduled for 10:44 a.m. CDT Friday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Expedition Five crew will awaken at 3:30 a.m., settling into a slightly later than normal shift to support the upcoming visits of the Soyuz taxi crew and Space Shuttle Endeavour.

• 2002 Oct 17 - STS-112 MCC Status Report #20 

  On its own again following yesterday's undocking from the International Space Station, Space Shuttle Atlantis and its crew today focuses on readying the orbiter for the return to Earth tomorrow at 10:44 a.m. Weather forecasts indicate pristine conditions across the southeastern U.S. tomorrow with clear skies and light winds.

  The first steps in changing Atlantis from a spaceship to an airplane are to test its aero surfaces, required as the orbiter begins to interact with the upper atmosphere on reentry and landing. Also tested today are the thruster jets on the nose and tail of Atlantis which maneuver the vehicle prior to dropping below 400,000 feet in altitude following the deorbit burn.

  Atlantis' computers systematically deactivate these jets when desired air pressure readings are detected at various stages throughout entry and landing.

  The crew of Commander Jeff Ashby, Pilot Pam Melroy and Mission Specialists Dave Wolf, Sandy Magnus, Piers Sellers and Cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin spend the day stowing equipment, supplies and belongings in preparation for tomorrow's anticipated return to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

  At 11:46 this morning, the crew will discuss the success of the mission with media representatives from the AP Radio Network, KMOX Radio of St. Louis and WISH-TV of Indianapolis. The interview will air on NASA Television.

  Behind the shuttle at a distance of 120 miles (193 kilometers), the ISS Expedition Five crew of Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Cosmonaut Sergei Treschev are preparing for their next visitors, a Soyuz taxi crew scheduled to arrive late this month. The taxi crew will return to Earth in the Soyuz at the station, which is nearing its certified on orbit life limit.

  The shuttle crew began its last full day on orbit with a wakeup call from Mission Control at 2:18 a.m. The song "These are the Days" performed by Natalie Merchant was played for Sellers at the request of his wife.

  Atlantis' crew sleep begins at about 6:30 this evening and the crew will be awakened at 2:16 a.m. Friday to begin landing preparations.

• 2002 Oct 17 - STS-112 MCC Status Report #21 

  Activities aboard Atlantis today focused on preparations for Friday's planned landing at the Kennedy Space Center, concluding a voyage of 4.5 million miles.

  Commander Jeff Ashby, Pilot Pam Melroy and Flight Engineer Sandy Magnus activated one of three hydraulic power units on Atlantis, tested all of the orbiter's aerosurfaces, and then test-fired the steering jets. All of the systems are in good shape for reentry and landing. The remaining crew members - Dave Wolf, Piers Sellers and Fyodor Yurchikhin - continued packing up gear and hardware in anticipation of tomorrow's landing.

  Atlantis has two opportunities to land at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on Friday. The first begins with a deorbit burn of the Orbital Maneuvering System engines at 9:36 a.m., followed by a landing at 10:44 a.m. Central (11:44 a.m. Eastern.) In the event weather prevents a landing on that first opportunity, there is a second opportunity, beginning with a deorbit burn at 11:16 a.m. and resulting in a 12:21 p.m. Central (1:21 p.m. Eastern) landing in Florida.

  Tomorrow's weather forecast for the shuttle landing facility at KSC is favorable. The backup-landing site at California's Edwards Air Force Base was not called up for support Friday. Atlantis has sufficient consumables to remain in orbit, if necessary, until Tuesday.

  Atlantis' crew will begin a scheduled eight-hour sleep period at 6:16 p.m. today, waking just after 2 a.m. Friday to prepare for a homecoming to the Kennedy Space Center. Actual deorbit preparations will get underway at 5:40 a.m. Atlantis' payload bay doors are scheduled to be closed at 6:56 a.m. and the crewmembers will get into their seats at 8:36 a.m.

  Meanwhile, aboard the International Space Station, the Expedition Five crew - Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev - enjoyed a few hours of off-duty time today. Tomorrow they will turn their attention back to unpacking the Russian Progress resupply vehicle that arrived at the station in late September.

• 2002 Oct 18 - Landing of STS-112 

  STS-112 landed at 15:43 GMT.

• 2002 Oct 18 - STS-112 MCC Status Report #22 

  After traveling more than 4.5 million miles, delivering the second segment of the International Space Station's main truss and three successful spacewalks to hook it up, Atlantis is scheduled to land at the Kennedy Space Center today.

  Atlantis has two landing opportunities at KSC. The first begins with the firing of the shuttle's braking rockets at 9:36 a.m. and a landing at 10:44 a.m. CDT. A second opportunity for a KSC landing would see the deorbit burn at 11:16 a.m. and a landing at 12:21 p.m. Forecasts call for favorable weather for landing, with scattered clouds, good visibility and 10-knot winds.

  The backup-landing site at California's Edwards Air Force Base will not be activated today. Atlantis has enough consumables to stay in orbit until Tuesday.

  The crew, Commander Jeff Ashby, Pilot Pam Melroy and Mission Specialists Dave Wolf, Sandy Magnus, Piers Sellers and Cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, was awakened at 2:25 a.m. by "Someday Soon," performed by Suzy Bogguss. It was for Ashby, requested by his wife.

  Deorbit preparations began about 5:40 a.m. The payload bay doors are to be closed at 6:56 a.m.

  About 3,000 miles behind the shuttle, the ISS Expedition 5 crew, Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Cosmonaut Sergei Treschev, is in its 135th day in space. Crewmembers are awaiting a taxi crew scheduled to arrive late this month with a replacement for the Soyuz now at the station. Expedition 5 is to return home on the STS-113 mission of Endeavour, scheduled for launch with their Expedition 6 replacements no earlier than Nov. 10.

  During the week it was docked to the station, Atlantis did two reboosts of the orbiting laboratory, raising its altitude by about six miles. Another station reboost was performed about 3:25 a.m. today using the engines of the Progress unpiloted cargo carrier docked to the rear of the Zvezda Service Module. It was to raise the station's altitude an additional 6.9 miles and adjust the orbit for the arrival of the new Soyuz. The station's average altitude after the reboost was expected to be 249 miles.

  If Atlantis lands on time, crewmembers are tentatively scheduled to return to the Johnson Space Center in Houston Saturday afternoon.

• 2002 Oct 18 - STS-112 MCC Status Report #23 

  Space Shuttle Atlantis glided to a noontime landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida completing a 4.5 million mile journey to outfit the International Space Station with a new section of truss and supplies for the Expedition crew onboard.

  With weather of little concern today, Commander Jeff Ashby piloted the shuttle to its 60th landing at KSC at 10:44 a.m. CDT. The deorbit burn occurred an hour earlier as Atlantis flew high above the southwestern Indian Ocean, dropping the shuttle out of orbit for the high-speed reentry and landing.

  Atlantis' ground track carried it above Central America and western Cuba before crossing the west coast of Florida south of Tampa. Ashby took over manual control of Atlantis at an altitude of 50,000 feet, guiding the 200,000 pound shuttle through a 290-degree right turn to line up with Runway 33.

  Meanwhile, aboard the International Space Station, the Expedition Five crew was able to watch Atlantis' safe landing while the three crewmembers continue to unpack and stow supplies delivered by the shuttle crew. Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Cosmonaut Sergei Treschev are in their 135th day in space (133rd aboard the station).

  Their next visitors are the three members of a Soyuz Taxi Crew scheduled to deliver a fresh rescue spacecraft to the station later this month. Expedition Five's ride home will be aboard Endeavour scheduled to launch no earlier than Nov. 10 bringing another truss segment and the Expedition Six crew.

  Atlantis will be hauled into its hangar later today to begin preparations for its next mission to the station in March 2003 on the STS-114 mission.

  Atlantis' six crewmembers are expected to hold a news conference at about 4 p.m. today on NASA Television and plan to return to the Johnson Space Center in Houston Saturday at about 5:30 p.m.