Atlantis Astronauts Aim For 1st of 3 Spacewalks At Station

Atlantis astronauts Garrett Reisman and Stephen Bowen will head outside the International Space Station on the first of three excursions planned during the shuttle’s weeklong stay at the outpost.

Their prime objective: Mount a spare U.S. communications antenna and parts for a two-armed Canadian android outside the station and prepare for the removal and replacement of batteries that have been powering the outpost since December 2000.

Here’s a look at the day in space:

3:20 a.m.: Shuttle, station crews wake.

4:00 a.m.: Spacewalk preps resume.

8:15 a.m.: Spacewalk begins.

9:35 a.m.: Spare U.S. communications antenna installed on stowage platform.

12:30 p.m.: Work platform for Dextre robot installed.

1:50 p.m.: Preps for station battery swap-out.

2:45 p.m.: Spacewalk ends.

6:20 p.m.: Station crew sleeps.

6:50 p.m.: Shuttle crew sleeps.

IMAGE NOTE: Click to enlarge the NASA TV screen grab of shuttle Atlantis crossing over the Andes Mountains in South American as the ship closed in Sunday for a docking at the International Space Station.