The Official Space Exploration Thread

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This image, taken by an STS-115 astronauts just after reaching orbit, shows one area of ice frost ramp foam loss during Atlantis' Sept. 9, 2006 launch. None of the lost foam appeared to damage the orbiter. Credit: NASA/JSC.

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Astronauts deliver addition to space station



The Expedition 13 crew welcomes the STS-115 crew aboard the International Space Station on Sept. 11, 2006. Credit: NASA TV.



The station robotic arm, Canadarm2 (lower right corner), prepares to grapple the P3/P4 Truss from the shuttle robotic arm. Credit: NASA TV.



The space shuttle Atlantis' robotic arm - controlled by STS-115 astronaut Daniel Burbank - grapples the Port 3/Port 4 (P3/P4) truss segments for the International Space Station (ISS) while docked at the station's Destiny lab. Credit: NASA TV.















This collection of images shows the Port 3/Port 4 solar array truss being hoisted out of Atlantis' payload bay by the shuttle's robot arm and then handed off to the space station's arm. Credit: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now.

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Astronauts aboard the International Space Station photograph the tile-covered belly of the Atlantis shuttle during a pre-docking Rotational Pitch Maneuver on Sept. 11, 2006. Credit: NASA TV.



The space shuttle Atlantis performs an orbital backflip before docking at the International Space Station (ISS) on Sept. 11, 2006. Its 17.5-ton cargo of new station trusses and solar arrays is visible in this view from the ISS. Credit: NASA TV.



NASA's Atlantis orbiter can be seen moored to a docking port at the aft end of the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory in this view from an exterior camera on Sept. 11, 2006. Credit: NASA TV.

NASA: No Extra Heat Shield Inspections for Shuttle Atlantis.

HOUSTON – The six-astronaut crew of NASA’s shuttle Atlantis will not have to wedge extra inspections into an already packed flight to the International Space Station (ISS), NASA officials said late Monday.

“There will be no need for focused inspections for this mission,” NASA commentator Nicole Cloutier-Lemasters said of the heat shield look as Atlantis’ STS-115 astronauts slept in preparation for their mission’s first spacewalk on Tuesday.

NASA engineers found 495 areas of interest on Atlantis’ heat shield from a detailed Sunday inspection and high-resolution photographs taken by ISS crewmembers just before the shuttle docked at the orbital laboratory today. But nearly all of those areas were cleared by Monday afternoon.

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Spacewalker loses bolt and spring



Atlantis' truss and collapsed solar arrays can be seen in this photo taken from the International Space Station. A third array, as well Newton's apple seed descendants and a rock from the summit of Mt. Everest remains out of view inside the crew compartment. Credit: NASA.



This illustration depicts the current configuration of the ISS (faded) with the addition of its new Port 3/Port 4 (P3/P4) truss and solar arrays (in color at right) after NASA's STS-115 shuttle flight is complete. Credit: NASA.



STS-115 astronaut Steven MacLean and ISS flight engineer Jeffrey Williams used the station's robotic arm to attach thee 17.5-ton Port 3/Port 4 truss segments in its berth on the orbital lab's port side on Sept. 12, 2006. Credit: NASA TV.



STS-115 spacewalker Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper is silhouetted against the Earth after swinging out the arm-like boxes of a new solar array (right) outside the International Space Station (ISS) on Sept. 12, 2006.

In other space news:

Pluto is Now Just a Number: 134340.

Pluto has been given a new name to reflect its new status as a dwarf planet.

On Sept. 7, the former 9th planet was assigned the asteroid number 134340 by the Minor Planet Center (MPC), the official organization responsible for collecting data about asteroids and comets in our solar system.

The move reinforces the International Astronomical Union's (IAU) recent decision to strip Pluto of its planethood and places it in the same category as other small solar-system bodies with accurately known orbits.

Pluto's companion satellites, Charon, Nix and Hydra are considered part of the same system and will not be assigned separate asteroid numbers, said MPC director emeritus Brian Marsden. Instead, they will be called 134340 I, II and III, respectively.

There are currently 136,563 asteroid objects recognized by the MPC; 2,224 new objects were added last week, of which Pluto was the first.

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'How many astronauts does it take to unscrew a bolt?'



STS-115 astronauts Daniel Burbank (right) and Steven MacLean - of the Canadian Space Agency - prepare the International Space Station's Port 3/Port 4 truss to deploy new solar arrays during a Sept. 13, 2006 spacewalk. Credit: NASA TV.

NASA Craft Settles Into Mars Orbit:

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) _ The most powerful spacecraft ever sent to Mars has settled into a nearly circular orbit, a move that allows scientists to begin studying the planet in unprecedented detail, NASA said Tuesday.

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter fired its thrusters for 12 minutes Monday to adjust to its final position six months after it arrived at the planet. Its altitude ranges between 155 to 196 miles above the surface.

Getting to this point is a great achievement,'' said Dan Johnston, deputy mission manager at the space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages the $720 million mission.

Over the next several months, the orbiter will deploy its 33-foot antenna and remove a lens cap from one of its instruments. It will begin collecting data in November, and scientists expect the resolution of those images to be nine times higher.

The unmanned orbiter safely slipped into orbit around Mars in March after a seven-month, 310 million-mile journey. It joined three other spacecraft currently flying around the planet and two rovers rolling across the surface.

Several weeks after entering orbit, a high-resolution camera aboard the spacecraft beamed back a test image showing the planet's southern highlands and cratered surface.

The orbiter spent the last half-year repeatedly dipping in to the upper atmosphere to shrink its orbit in a tricky process known as aerobraking.

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Spacewalkers lose the darndest things

Space station spreads its solar wings



Action was brisk outside the space shuttle/space station tandem when this digital still image was recorded on Sept. 12. Astronauts Joseph R. Tanner and Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper participated in the first of three scheduled STS-115 extravehicular activity (EVA) sessions as the Atlantis astronauts and the Expedition 13 crew members join efforts this week to resume construction of the International Space Station. Credit: NASA.



STS-115 spacewalker Daniel Burbank can be recognized by the broken red stripe on each leg of his spacesuit in this image, with Steven MacLean, representing the Canadian Space Agency, just above and to the right of Burbank. One of two new solar arrays - still undeployed - appear as a giant letter 'T' behind them. Credit: NASA.



A new starboard solar array, known as 2A, is fully deployed outside the International Space Station (ISS) by NASA's STS-115 crew on Sept. 14, 2006.



One of two new solar arrays, known as 4A, delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) this week by NASA's STS-115 crew rolls out to expose one mast bay on Sept. 14, 2006.

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Astronauts complete final spacewalk



A view from STS-115 spacewalker Joseph Tanner's helmet camera shows a view of the International Space Station - its new Port 4 solar arrays at the top right - in a Sept. 15, 2006 spacewalk. The older Port 6 solar arrays and ISS Ku-band antenna are on the left. Credit: NASA TV.



With Earth as her backdrop, STS-115 astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper releases a series of latches and cinches on the Port 4 radiato (the large box-like unit to her right) during a Sept. 15, 2006 spacewalk outside the International Space Station. Credit: NASA TV/



The new Port 4 solar array radiator is fully deployed outside the International Space Station (ISS) on Sept. 15, 2006, allowing the solar arrays to support themselves until they are brought into the outpost's power grid. Credit: NASA TV.

First female space tourist poised for launch

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Engineers Prep Soyuz Rocket For Monday blastoff:



At 5 hours 00 minutes Moscow Time space-rocket system Soyuz was rolled out from the Integration and Checkout Facility to the launch pad. Credit: Energia.



An image of the launch vehicle Soyuz-FG carrying Soyuz TMA-9 transportation spacecraft being erected on the launch pad. Credit: Energia.



Bottom row (from left): Expedition 13's Thomas Reiter, Pavel Vinogradov and Jeffrey Williams. Middle row: STS-115 mission specialists Joseph Tanner, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, commander Brent Jett. Top row: pilot Chris Ferguson, STS-115 mission specialists Daniel Burbank, Steven MacLean. Credit: NASA TV.

The STS-115 astronauts enjoyed some off duty time and transferred cargo Saturday, their last full day at the International Space Station. Space Shuttle Atlantis and the STS-115 crew are slated to undock at 8:50 a.m. EDT Sunday.

The crew members received free time Saturday morning. This came on the heels of a four-day stretch in which they performed three spacewalks in a four-day period. The spacewalks featured tasks to prepare the station’s newly installed P3/P4 integrated truss for operation. The crew attached the truss to the station Sept. 12 prior to the start of the first spacewalk.

The transfer activities included loading Atlantis with station items that are returning to Earth, including science experiment results.

The STS-115 and Expedition 13 crews also held the traditional joint crew news conference earlier today. STS-115 Commander Brent Jett said this mission is a good start to the series of upcoming construction flights. “All of the rest of the assembly missions are going to be challenging.” Jett said. “We have similar payloads flying in the future. We are off to a good start on assembly. I think we can pass along a lot of the lessons to the future crews.”

Atlantis is scheduled to land at 5:57 a.m. on Wednesday at the Space Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Credit NASA.gov

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Shuttle crew heads for home, Wednesday landing planned



A view of the International Space Station (ISS) before the STS-115 mission taken in July 2005 during a partial flyaround by the STS-114 crew. Credit: NASA.



The International Space Station (ISS) as seen by cameras aboard NASA's space shuttle Atlantis during a flyaround after the orbiter undocked from the orbital laboratory on Sept. 17, 2006 during the STS-115 mission. Credit: NASA TV.

First female 'space tourist' ready for blastoff

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Female space tourist blasts off

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Space station crew cleaning up toxic spill

Shuttle inspected ahead of landing



A camera aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis captured this view of the payload bay shortly before the start of the inspection of the shuttle's heat shield. Credit: NASA TV.



A close-up look of Atlantis' heat shield taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station before the orbiter docked on Sept. 11, 2006 during the STS-115 mission. Credit: NASA

More on the stairway to heaven:

Express lift to the stars

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Well, no landing today as it looks like something may have come off the Atlantis.

Mystery object delays shuttle landing



Tomorrow's early morning shuttle landing has been delayed after NASA detected of a mystery object hovering between the shuttle and Earth. Credit: NASA



In this picture obtained by collectSpace.com , a piece of debris is seen near the orbiter Atlantis. The photo was taken by the STS-115 crew today. Credit: NASA, collectSpace.com



An orange strip of plastic, known as shim stock, juts from the port external tank umbilical door in this close-up shot of Atlantis' belly during its STS-115 mission. Credit: NASA.



The largest protruding gap-filler on Atlantis during its STS-115 flight is barely hanging on by a corner and shown here with dimensions displayed. Credit: NASA.

Updates on other space news...



The Russian-built Progress 21 cargo ship leaves the International Space Station on Sept. 18, 2006. Credit: NASA TV.

An unmanned Russian cargo ship left a berth at the International Space Station (ISS) to destroy itself late Monday, clearing a docking port for three spaceflyers now bound for the orbital laboratory.

Filled with trash and other unneeded equipment, the Progress 21 supply ship slipped away from its aft docking port of the space station’s Zvezda service module at about 8:30 p.m. EDT (0030 Sept. 19 GMT) while the outpost’s three-astronaut crew Expedition 13 crew slumbered – an ISS first – and fired its thrusters at the behest of Russia’s Mission Control.

Ansari and the Expedition 14 crew are expected to dock at the ISS at about 1:24 a.m. EDT (0524 GMT) Wednesday.

Scientists: We must return to the moon

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NASA: Atlantis to land Thursday



This mystery object spotted floating between Atlantis and the Earth prompted a one-day delay for the shuttle's landing and new inspections of the orbiter's heat shield near the end of NASA's STS-115 mission. Credit: NASA.

Female space tourist arrives at space station



The Soyuz spacecraft carrying the Expedition 14 crew and spaceflight participant Anousheh Ansari approaches the International Space Station. Credit: NASA TV.



The Expedition 13 crew welcomes Expedition 14 and spaceflight participant Anousheh Ansari aboard the International Space Station. Credit: NASA TV.

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Atlantis lands safely in Florida



The International Space Station (ISS) as seen by astronauts aboard the space shuttle Atlantis after undocking on Sept. 17, 2006 during NASA's STS-115 mission. Credit: NASA.



Space Shuttle Atlantis landing at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Photo Credit: NASA TV.

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Space tourist, crew touch down



A photograph taken shortly after ground crews arrived at the Soyuz landing spot in Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA TV.



Groundcrews presented Anousheh Ansari with a bouquet of roses and an apple after she was pulled out of the cramped confines of the Soyuz spacecraft. Credit: NASA TV.



Ansari, Vinogradov and Williams are wrapped in blankets to keep warm as they get reacusstomed to Earth's gravity. Credit: NASA TV.