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'Safe launch' for space shuttle Shuttle docks with space station
(about 11 hours later)
Nasa officials scrutinising footage of space shuttle Atlantis' launch say some debris did hit the orbiter, but that there was no visible damage. The space shuttle Atlantis has docked with the International Space Station as astronauts on board prepare for a "busy day in space".
"Not only am I not alarmed, I'm really at ease after looking through this video," Nasa's Wayne Hale said. The six-person crew successfully docked with the ISS at 1048 GMT (0648 EDT).
"We are looking at nits - nothing of any remote consequence," he said. Commander Brent Jett first had to flip the shuttle on its back so ISS crew could scan its underside for damage.
Nasa says that some debris from the fuel tank did hit the orbiter during its launch, but no damage was detected from ground observations.
"At this point, the mission has been going along well," said the shuttle programme's deputy manager John Shannon.
"We saw no debris at all coming off during our critical period; Atlantis looks great."
Three possible impacts on the shuttle were detected, two from insulation foam and a third from ice; but all occurred several minutes after launch when Atlantis was already travelling through the thinner air of the upper atmosphere, which Nasa says is less likely to result in damage.
Saturday's launch was just the third shuttle mission since the orbiter Columbia broke up on re-entry after being damaged by launch debris in 2003.Saturday's launch was just the third shuttle mission since the orbiter Columbia broke up on re-entry after being damaged by launch debris in 2003.
As part of new procedures following the Columbia tragedy, in which all seven astronauts on board died, Nasa now restricts launches to daylight to allow for careful study of the external fuel tank. 'Busy day'
Mr Hale said that his assessment of the launch was a preliminary report and that Nasa would be reviewing high-definition film from the shuttle on Sunday. The period following docking will, says Nasa, be one of the most complex and busy in shuttle history.
Tight schedule ISS: ORBITING OUTPOST Construction work has been on hold for four years16 nations contribute to the ISS, including the US, Russia, Japan, Canada, Brazil and European Space Agency statesThe ISS will eventually be the size of a football field The first task is to transfer and then fit the P3/P4 truss, a 17-tonne segment of the space station's "backbone" that includes a huge set of solar arrays and a giant rotary joint to allow them to track the Sun.
The shuttle Atlantis blasted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida through a partly cloudy sky at 1115 local time (1515 GMT). The arrays will be the second of four sets, and will span 73m (240ft) when fully extended.
The crew will install a set of giant solar arrays at the ISSThe launch, the last opportunity to lift-off until at least late September, came after two weeks of frustrating delays for Nasa managers.
"What you saw today is a flawless count, a majestic launch. This vehicle has not flown since 2001 and not everything in the count leading up to this day was easy. We had to dodge tropical storms, lightning strikes and things like that," Nasa administrator Michael Griffin said.
The six astronauts on board for the 11-day mission are headed to the $100bn International Space Station to resume construction work after a gap of four years.
The crew will deliver and fit the P3/P4 truss, a 17-tonne segment of the space station's "backbone" that includes a huge set of solar arrays and a giant rotary joint to allow them to track the Sun.
ISS: ORBITING OUTPOST Construction work has been on hold for four years16 nations contribute to the ISS, including the US, Russia, Japan, Canada, Brazil and European Space Agency statesThe ISS will eventually be the size of a football field The arrays will be the second of four sets, and will span 73m (240ft) when fully extended.
Once fitted, they will effectively double the station's current ability to generate power from sunlight.Once fitted, they will effectively double the station's current ability to generate power from sunlight.
Nasa managers were under pressure to launch as there is a tight schedule of some 15 further shuttle missions to complete construction work on the ISS by 2010, when the current shuttle fleet is due to be retired. Astronauts Joe Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper then plan an "overnight camp out" in the airlock in preparation for the first of three spacewalks.