Six hard-charging days into their mission to the International Space Station, the Atlantis astronauts are preparing to take a half-day off -- time that largely will be spent in the outpost's new bay window gazing at the Earth.Launched last Friday from Kennedy Space Center, the six-member crew of veteran astronauts already has pulled off two of three planned spacewalks as well as the delivery and installation of a fourth Russian docking port, which was opened for business earlier today.
Atlantis mission commander Ken Ham said the crew is ready to "take a break and recharge our batteries."
"We've been hitting it pretty hard these last few days, and I think we're all really tired," Ham said. "It's a day to take pictures and make some memories."
Shuttle missions typically are frenetically paced, and NASA for the most part micromanages every minute of an astronaut's day. But mission managers do give shuttle crews a little time -- usually a half day for every week spent in orbit.
"It's the treasured part of a mission, where you actually get a chance to take some time to look out the window, maybe watch a whole lap around the Earth," Ham said. "That's where some of the best memories are made."
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