CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis and its crew landed at 9:07 a.m. EST Wednesday at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla., after completing a 13-day journey of nearly 5.3 million miles in space. The STS-122 mission expanded the size and research capabilities of the International Space Station with the delivery of the European Space Agency’s Columbus laboratory.

Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier described STS-122 as one of the program’s most successful space station construction missions.

“These missions are extremely challenging, and a great deal of preparation and teamwork are required to get these vehicles ready to fly,” Gerstenmaier said. “We’re focused on completing assembly and moving into the full utilization phase of the station. This mission opens the door for another one of our international partners to join in the important work and science on the space station.”

Steve Frick commanded the flight and was joined by Pilot Alan Poindexter, Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim, Stanley Love and European Space Agency astronauts Hans Schlegel from Germany and Leopold Eyharts from France. Eyharts remained aboard the space station, replacing Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Dan Tani, who returned to Earth on Atlantis after nearly four months on the station. Eyharts will return on shuttle Endeavour’s STS-123 mission, currently targeted for launch on March 11, 2008.

The mission included three spacewalks to outfit Columbus with power, data and cooling cables, installation of two science experiments on the lab’s exterior, replacement of an expended nitrogen tank on the space station’s cooling system, and retrieval of a failed space station control moment gyroscope — a device that helps control the orientation of the station — for its return to Earth.

Several inspections in orbit revealed no damage to Atlantis, and the shuttle’s thermal protection system was declared safe for re-entry on Tuesday. Workers immediately will begin processing the Atlantis for its next flight to service the Hubble Space Telescope, targeted for Aug. 28.

STS-122 was the 121st space shuttle flight, the 29th flight for shuttle Atlantis and the 24th flight to the station.

With Atlantis and its crew safely home, the stage is set for the next phase of station assembly. The STS-123 mission will deliver the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo logistics module and Canada’s new robotics system, Dextre, the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, to the station.

The STS-122 crew completed today’s scheduled inspections of Space Shuttle Atlantis’ heat shield and prepared for tomorrow’s arrival at the International Space Station.

Shuttle Commander Steve Frick along with Mission Specialists Leland Melvin and Stanley Love wrapped up the heat shield inspections about 2:35 p.m. EST. They used Atlantis’ robotic arm and an attached boom extension to check the spacecraft’s underside, nose cap and leading edges of the wings as well as hard to reach shuttle surfaces.

The inspections started about 9:40 a.m. and were performed to check for damage that may have occurred to the heat shield during the climb to orbit that began when Atlantis lifted off Thursday from Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Over the next few days, engineers and flight controllers will analyze the data collected by the STS-122 crew.

The continuing preparations for Saturday’s activities include the extension of the shuttle’s docking ring at 5 p.m. today and the check out of tools the astronauts will use to rendezvous and link up with the station. Docking is set for 12:25 p.m. tomorrow.

The STS-122 crew also is checking out spacesuits to be used during the mission’s three scheduled spacewalks at the space station. The main objective of these spacewalks is to install the European Space Agency’s Columbus research laboratory and prepare it for use.

STS-122 is also delivering to the station European Space Agency astronaut Leopold Eyharts, who will replace Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Daniel Tani.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis and its seven-member crew lifted off at 2:45 p.m. EST on Thursday, Feb. 7 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to begin the STS-122 mission to the International Space Station.

“Lift off of space shuttle Atlantis as Columbus sets sail on a voyage of science to the space station,” came the call from the launch control center.

During the 11-day flight, Commander Steve Frick and his six crewmates will install the European Space Agency’s Columbus laboratory on the station. Columbus will expand the research facilities of the station and provide scientists around the world with the ability to conduct a variety of life, physical and materials science experiments. The mission will include three spacewalks, delivery of a new crew member to the station and the return of another astronaut after nearly four months aboard the complex.

Space shuttle Atlantis and its crew of seven astronauts launched on spectacular plumes of gold-tipped smoke today carrying Europe’s primary contribution to the International Space Station – the Columbus science laboratory.

The lab is filled with racks for experiments and research euipment and has fixtures on its exterior to also host research exposed to the vacuum of space. It represents the latest international addition to a facility already made of structures from the United States, Russia and Canada.

“It shows that there is a real partnership between communities,” NASA Administrator Mike Griffin said.

The launch was crucial for the European Space Agency because the Columbus lab represents a cutting edge research facility for Europe and the continent’s first manned spacecraft.

“Today we are opening a new chapter for ESA,” said Jean-Jacques Dordain, the European Space Agency director general. “Just as Columbus discovered the New World, with Columbus, we are discovering a whole new world.”

The launch came seven years to the day after Atlantis carried NASA’s science laboratory named Destiny to the space station.

“It’s great to have two laboratories in space,” said Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA’s associate administrator for space operations.

Atlantis’ liftoff came despite concerns that a weather front would interfere. But those concerns did not materialize and the launch team sent Atlantis aloft at the appointed time.

“We did set ourselves up to be ready, to be prepared,” said Leroy Cain, chairman of the Mission Management Team.

The crew of Atlantis will now check out its systems and inspect the heat shield while chasing down the space station. It is to dock with the station Saturday. There will be three spacewalks during the flight so astronauts can attach the Columbus lab and connect its power and fluid lines.

While the inspections are routine, following the loss of Columbia five years ago this month, Mission Control informed the STS-122 that debris was spotted falling from the external tank during ascent.

Shortly before launch, Frick thanked the teams that helped make the launch possible.

“We’re looking forward to a great flight and coming back to see our families in two weeks,” Frick said. “It looks like today’s a good day, and we’re ready to go fly.”

Joining Frick on STS-122 are pilot Alan Poindexter and mission specialists Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim, Stanley Love and European Space Agency astronauts Hans Schlegel and Leopold Eyharts. Eyharts will replace current station resident Dan Tani, who has lived on the outpost since October. Eyharts will return to Earth on shuttle Endeavour’s STS-123 mission, which is currently targeted for launch on March 11, 2008.

During the countdown, a newly-designed connector in the shuttle’s fuel sensor system performed normally. The STS-122 mission was twice delayed in December 2007 after false readings occurred in that system while Atlantis’ external fuel tank was being filled. Tests revealed that open circuits in the external tank’s feed through connector were the most likely cause. A modified connector, designed with pins and sockets soldered together, was installed for the mission. The sensor system is one of several that protects the shuttle’s main engines by triggering their shut down if fuel runs unexpectedly low.

NASA is providing continuous television and Internet coverage of Atlantis’ mission, which is the 121st shuttle flight, the 29th for Atlantis and the 24th shuttle mission to the station.

NASA Television features live mission events, daily mission status news conferences and 24-hour commentary. NASA TV is webcast at: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

WASHINGTON - The recent flyby of Mercury by NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft has given scientists an entirely new look at a planet once thought to have characteristics similar to those of Earth’s moon. Researchers are amazed by the wealth of images and data that show a unique world with a diversity of geological processes and a very different magnetosphere from the one discovered and sampled more than 30 years ago.

After a journey of more than 2 billion miles and three and a half years, NASA’s MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging spacecraft made its first flyby on Jan. 14. The mission is the first sent to orbit the planet closest to our sun. The spacecraft’s cameras and other sophisticated, high-technology instruments collected more than 1,200 images and made other science observations. Data included the first up-close measurements of Mercury since the Mariner 10 spacecraft’s third and final flyby on March 16, 1975.

“This flyby allowed us to see a part of the planet never before viewed by spacecraft, and our little craft has returned a gold mine of exciting data,” said Sean Solomon, MESSENGER’s principal investigator, Carnegie Institution of Washington. “From the perspectives of spacecraft performance and maneuver accuracy, this encounter was near-perfect, and we are delighted that all of the science data are now on the ground.”

Unlike the moon, the spacecraft showed that Mercury has huge cliffs with structures snaking up hundreds of miles across the planet’s face. These cliffs preserve a record of patterns of fault activity from early in the planet’s history. The spacecraft also revealed impact craters that appear very different from lunar craters.
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WASHINGTON — For the first time ever, NASA will beam a song — The Beatles’ “Across the Universe” — directly into deep space at 7 p.m. EST on Feb. 4.

The transmission over NASA’s Deep Space Network will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the day The Beatles recorded the song, as well as the 50th anniversary of NASA’s founding and the group’s beginnings. Two other anniversaries also are being honored: The launch 50 years ago this week of Explorer 1, the first U.S. satellite, and the founding 45 years ago of the Deep Space Network, an international network of antennas that supports missions to explore the universe.

The transmission is being aimed at the North Star, Polaris, which is located 431 light years away from Earth. The song will travel across the universe at a speed of 186,000 miles per second. Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney expressed excitement that the tune, which was principally written by fellow Beatle John Lennon, was being beamed into the cosmos.

“Amazing! Well done, NASA!” McCartney said in a message to the space agency. “Send my love to the aliens. All the best, Paul.” (more…)

“A ship in the harbor is safe. But, that’s not what ships are built for.”

- John A. Shedd

Today, the fifth anniversary of the loss of Columbia and her crew, I’ve been thinking a lot about that qoute. I first discovered it when searching for something to use in the wake of Columbia’s loss for another publication I work on.

To me, it really defines why we as humans take the risks we do for the sake of exploration.

I hope we all keep that in mind today as we reflect on our brave explorers - past, present, future - and those who have perished in that pursuit.