Monday's job is to install a new 16-tonne truss segment containing solar panels, to be attached with the help of the station's giant robotic arm.

The shuttle docked with the International Space Station (ISS) Sunday, after performing a dramatic backward somersault in space.

The space station crew rang a bell as shuttle astronauts came aboard through opened airlocks connecting the vessels and all shook hands and talked. The arrival was captured in images broadcast by the US space agency NASA.

Shuttle commander Rick Sturckow brought the shuttle to a rest after a nearly 48-hour voyage from Earth, some 350 kilometers (217 miles) away.

Before docking, Atlantis turned slowly over for station crew to photograph insulation on its underside, NASA said in a statement.

A delicate parking maneuver followed, as Sturckow slowed the 100-tonne shuttle to a mere three meters (10 feet) per second and steered it into dock at 3:36 pm (1936 GMT).

The digital photographs of Atlantis's underbelly were to be transmitted to Texas and examined to make certain that its heat-protective exterior is in good shape for its return to Earth.

The shuttle, on its first mission of the year, suffered a four-inch (10 centimeter) tear on a thermal blanket and small pieces of foam broke off from its external fuel tanks after it blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida Friday.

Lift-off damage is a concern after the February 2003 shuttle disaster. The Columbia craft disintegrated as it returned to Earth due to breaks in its heat shield caused by foam insulation peeling off its fuel tank and striking a wing during the launch.

All seven astronauts aboard perished and the shuttle program was put on hold for nearly two and a half years while the US space agency sought to overcome the problem, modifying the external fuel tank and setting procedures to check the heat shield while in orbit.

NASA has played down concerns over the damage to Atlantis. One of the mission's directors, John Shannon, has said the damage is in a spot not exposed to the highest heat as the shuttle breaks through Earth's atmosphere.

But he clarified that a decision on whether to send astronauts on a spacewalk to repare the blanket will be taken on Monday.

"They will be back to me tomorrow and lay out options," Shannon told reporters in Houston, Texas. "And we will decide then if we want to do anything for this blanket and then if we want to do something about it, what's the right course of action and what space walk would be appropriate to do it."

Atlantis's 11-day mission STS-117 is the first since hail damage to the spacecraft in a freak storm forced NASA to scrap a March lift-off.

When unfolded, the new solar arrays will provide additional power to the station in preparation for the arrival of new science modules from the European and Japanese space agencies.

At least two other space walks are planned on Wednesday and Friday, to continue installing the equipment.

The ISS is a key stepping stone for preparing manned missions to Mars. NASA plans at least 13 more shuttle missions to finish the 100-billion-dollar station by 2010, when the agency retires its three-shuttle fleet.

The Atlantis mission is led by Sturckow, 45, a Marine colonel, who was joined in the cockpit by co-pilot Lee Archambault, 46, an air force colonel.

The crew includes mission specialists Reilly, 53, Patrick Forrester, 50, Steven Swanson, 46, and Olivas, 42.

The seventh passenger, Clayton Anderson, 48, will serve a four-month mission aboard the ISS. He switched places Sunday with flight engineer Sunita Williams, who has been there since December. She will return to Earth on board Atlantis.

earlier related report
US Shuttle Atlantis Docks With Space Station
The US shuttle Atlantis docked with the International Space Station Sunday, performing a dramatic backward somersault in space before locking on, in its mission to deliver equipment and a new crew member. Shuttle commander Rick Sturckow confirmed the successful docking to mission controllers in Houston, Texas in a broadcast by the space agency NASA, after a nearly 48-hour voyage from Earth.

The shuttle's pilots earlier fired the orbiting Atlantis' engines to prepare it to approach the station, some 350 kilometers (217 miles) from Earth, as the crew on the station lit up its lights to welcome the incoming probe.

It turned slowly over for station crew to photograph heat tiles on its underside, the space agency said in a statement.

A delicate parking maneuver followed, as Sturckow slowed the 100-tonne shuttle to a mere three meters (10 feet) per second and steered it into dock at 3:36 pm (1936 GMT).

The crews on the shuttle and the station (ISS) were to carry out checks before opening the hatches between the spacecraft to greet each other at 4:58 pm (2058 GMT), the agency said.

Over the next week, the Atlantis crew will carry out operations aimed at boosting the station's power-generating capacity.

The digital images of Atlantis' underbelly will be examined to make certain that its heat-protective exterior is in good shape for its eventual return to Earth.

The shuttle, on its first mission of the year, suffered a four-inch (10 centimeter) tear on its thermal blanket and small pieces of foam broke off from its external fuel tanks after it blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida Friday.

Lift-off damage is a concern after the February 2003 shuttle disaster. The Columbia craft disintegrated as it returned to Earth due to breaks in its heat shield caused by foam insulation peeling off its fuel tank during the launch.

All seven astronauts aboard perished and the shuttle program was put on hold for nearly two and a half years while the US space agency sought to overcome the problem, modifying the external fuel tank and setting procedures to check the heat shield while in orbit.

NASA has played down concerns over the damage to Atlantis. One of the mission's directors, John Shannon, said Saturday that the damage was in a spot not highly exposed to heat as the shuttle breaks through Earth's atmosphere.

Atlantis' mission STS-117 is the first since hail damage to the spacecraft in a freak storm forced NASA to scrap a March lift-off.

During their 11-day trip, the seven Atlantis astronauts plan to install a new, 16-tonne truss segment on the ISS and deliver a third set of solar panels, as well as batteries for the orbiting laboratory.

When unfolded, the arrays will provide additional power to the station in preparation for the arrival of new science modules from the European and Japanese space agencies.

Three space walks lasting six-and-a-half hours each are planned on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, to install the equipment.

The ISS is a key stepping stone for preparing future manned missions to Mars. NASA plans at least 13 more shuttle missions to finish the 100-billion-dollar station by 2010, when the US space agency retires its three-shuttle fleet.

The Atlantis mission is led by Sturckow, 45, a marine colonel, who is joined in the cockpit by co-pilot Lee Archambault, 46, an air force colonel.

The crew includes mission specialists James Reilly, 53, Patrick Forrester, 50, Steven Swanson, 46, and John Olivas, 42.

The seventh passenger, Clayton Anderson, 48, will stay behind at the ISS for a four-month mission while Atlantis brings back to Earth flight engineer Sunita Williams, who has been working at the space station since December.

Related Links
STS-117
Shuttle at NASA
Watch NASA TV via Space.TV
Space Shuttle News at Space-Travel.Com

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