Atlantis 1,200 feet from the ISS
Click for video.
The crew of Atlantis is preparing to dock with the International Space Station at 12:25 p.m. EST. The shuttle crew is involved in a series of engine firings, which will bring the shuttle closer to the ISS. The orbiting vehicles are closing in on each other at about 400 miles per orbit.
Final docking maneuvers will begin with an engine burn at 9:37 a.m. Before docking, Commander Stephen Frick will execute a flip maneuver at 11:23 a.m. to allow astronauts aboard the space station to film the shuttle's thermal protection system with high-resolution video and still cameras.
A Friday examination of the thermal tiles revealed no damage from three pieces of foam that fell from the external tank during ascent.
Hatches will open between the two craft at 1:35 p.m.
Astronauts this afternoon will prepare for Sunday's spacewalk, when astronauts Rex Walheim and Hans Schlegel will install a grapple fixture on the Columbus laboratory. The laboratory then will be transferred to the space station and fixed to the starboard side of the Harmony module.
Click for STS-122 fact sheet.
Click for NASA-TV schedule, which gives a mission timeline.
ISS Commander Peggy Whitson celebrates her 48th birthday in space.
Illustration of shuttle and ISS at the beginning of the inspection maneuver.
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