Atlantis lifted off on time into a clear blue Florida sky,
carrying the seven member crew on mission STS-117.
With the June 8 launch, Commander Rick Sturckow, Pilot Lee Archambault,
Mission Specialists James Reilly, Steven Swanson, Patrick Forrester, John
"Danny" Olivas, and Clayton Anderson were off to carry out the next phase
of construction on the International Space Station.
Their mission had been delayed by several months after hail at the launch pad
damaged the external tank, requiring time-consuming repairs inside
the Vehicle Assembly Building.
Once Atlantis and crew reached the orbiting outpost, the astronauts installed
the Starboard 3 and 4 truss segment with its solar arrays.
The installation and activation took four spacewalks, bringing the additional
power supply to the station online.
During the first spacewalk, Jim Reilly and John Olivas connected power, data
and cooling cables, released launch restraints and deployed the four solar array
blanket boxes on the S4 truss.
Next up, spacewalkers Patrick Forrester and Steven Swanson prepared the
Solar Alpha Rotary Joint between the S3 and S4 Truss segments for rotation.
From inside, the crew also began the retraction of the solar array blanket
atop the P6 truss.
Reilly and Olivas conducted the third spacewalk.
Supported by the shuttle robot arm, Olivas repaired a protruding
piece of thermal blanket on Atlantis' left orbital maneuvering system pod
while Reilly installed a hydrogen vent valve in the forward section
of the Destiny laboratory.
The two moved to the top of the P6 Truss to assist in completing
the retraction starboard side solar array wing.
Onboard the station, the Russian crew members and ground controllers worked
to troubleshoot computer problems that were resolved by the end of the mission.
Forrester and Swanson completed the fourth and final spacewalk of the mission,
wrapping up all the planned tasks and finishing some jobs that
will reduce the workload for future spacewalkers.
Along with supplies, Atlantis also delivered Clayton Anderson, who assumed the
role of Expedition 15/16 Flight Engineer.
He replaced astronaut Sunita Williams, who arrived at the station in December
aboard Discovery during mission STS-116 giving her the record for a long
duration single spaceflight for a woman.
With their work complete, Atlantis and crew had to extend their time in space by
another day when bad weather in Florida prevented landing.
The next day provided no weather relief, so the crew ended its 5.8-million-mile
mission at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
The perfect touchdown at the desert runway brought to a close another
successful shuttle flight and space station construction milestone.