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Russian flight controllers are troubleshooting a problem with backup navigation computers aboard the International Space Station (ISS) manned by the Expedition 15 crew and their visitors flying the Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117.
Space Picture of the Space Shuttle Atlantis photographed from the ISS viewed from the aft end looking forward as the two spacecraft were nearing their link-up in Earth orbit.
About an hour and 20 minutes before the Thursday morning, June 14, 2007, scheduled wakeup call, the crews were awakened by a false alarm on the station. The alarm was triggered by the restart of the Russian navigation computers.
Flight controllers continue efforts to bring the computers back up to full operation. The system is essential to the ISS as it manages the orientation of the station relative to the sun - in essence pointing the power-producing solar panels and keeping the ISS from tumbling or re-entry through the control of ISS attitude and orbital altitude.
For now, the station’s control moment gyroscopes are handling attitude control, with the shuttle’s propulsion system providing backup.
Throughout the week, the two crews have been activating the Starboard 3 and 4 (S3/S4) truss segment that was attached to the station on Monday. The STS-117 crew has conducted two spacewalks to prepare the new segment for activation and to retract arrays on the Port 6 (P6) truss. The P6 will be relocated from atop the station to the end of the Port 5 truss by a future shuttle crew.
The S3/S4, which is 45 feet long and weighs 35,678 pounds, contains a new set of solar arrays that will increase the station’s power-generation capabilities. The S3/S4 also contains a rotary joint that will allow its arrays to track the sun.
In addition to a new truss segment, NASA Astronaut Clayton Anderson joined the Expedition 15 crew on Sunday, replacing Flight Engineer Suni Williams. Anderson arrived at the station as a member of Space Shuttle Atlantis’ crew. Atlantis docked to the station on Sunday. Williams spent six months as an Expedition crew member.
STS-117 Mission Specialists Jim Reilly and Danny Olivas spent part of Thursday on a review of procedures and the practice of techniques they will use during the spacewalk set to begin at 1:38 p.m. EDT Friday. The first task of the extravehicular activity is the repair of a thermal blanket that pulled away from the orbital maneuvering system pod on the rear of the shuttle.
Atlantis is scheduled to undock from the Station June 19.
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