Spacewalking Atlantis astronauts completed their planned work ahead of schedule Thursday and did a major additional task. Mission Specialists Mike Foreman and Robert Satcher wound up the six-hour, 37-minute spacewalk at 3:01 p.m. CST. It was the first of three spacewalks scheduled for Atlantis’ mission to the International Space Station, a flight devoted largely to bringing sizeable spare parts to the station to be attached to its exterior. The focus of other Atlantis crew members, Comman... Read Full Story

After a night spent camping out in the Quest airlock, Mission Specialists Mike Foreman and Robert Satcher are awake and into the final preparations for the first spacewalk of the STS-129 mission. Foreman, Satcher and the rest of Atlantis’ crew were awakened at 3:28 a.m. to the sound of The Newsboys’ song “In Wonder.” It was played for Mission Specialist Randy Bresnik, who will be choreographing today’s spacewalk from inside the station. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 8:18 a.m. and... Read Full Story

The space shuttle Atlantis docked with the International Space Station at 10:51 a.m. CST to deliver 14 tons of cargo that is essential for the continued operations of the orbiting laboratory. Atlantis Commander Charles Hobaugh guided the orbiter to a docking with a pressurized mating adaptor located on the station’s Harmony node as the two spacecraft were flying 220 miles above Earth between Australia and Tasmania. Prior to docking, when the orbiter reached a range of 600 feet from the st... Read Full Story

The International Space Station is just a few hours away from receiving a shipment of spares that should help keep it going well into the future. Space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to dock to the station at 10:53 a.m. and deliver two pallets carrying more than 20,000 pounds worth of spare equipment too large to be launched into space aboard any other vehicle. Atlantis’ six-man crew received their wake-up call at 3:28 a.m. Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” was played for Mission Specialist ... Read Full Story

Atlantis astronauts Tuesday inspected the space shuttle’s thermal protection system, checked out spacesuits and prepared to dock with the International Space Station. Much of the day for Commander Charles Hobaugh, Pilot Barry Wilmore and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Robert Satcher Jr. was devoted to inspection of the shuttle’s heat-resistant tiles and reinforced carbon-carbon surfaces on the wing leading edges and the nose. Hobaugh, Wilmore and Melvin... Read Full Story

With a picture-perfect launch day under their belts, Atlantis’ crew members will spend their first full day in space taking pictures of what they hope will be a perfect heat shield. Today’s STS-129 wakeup call came at 3:28 a.m. in the form of MercyMe’s “I Can Only Imagine.” The song was played for Pilot Barry E. Wilmore, who will spend his day at the controls of the shuttle’s robotic arm. Wilmore, along with Commander Charles O. Hobaugh and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin and Randy Bresni... Read Full Story

Space shuttle Atlantis launched at 1:28 p.m. CST on its way to store supplies onboard the International Space Station. Commander Charles Hobaugh, Pilot Barry Wilmore and Mission Specialists Mike Foreman, Robert Satcher Jr., Randy Bresnik and Leland Melvin reached orbit eight and a half minutes later as the space station flew 220 miles over the South Pacific Ocean. Aboard the station watching Atlantis’ launch on a live feed from Mission Control were Commander Frank De Winne of the European... Read Full Story

Nov 15: As the sun sets behind Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the rotating service structure has been moved away from space shuttle Atlantis during the T-11 hour hold in the launch countdown. Liftoff of the STS-129 mission is set for 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16. The movable structure, which provides weather protection and access for technicians to work on the shuttle, began being retracted at 5:20 p.m. EST and was in the park position by 5:56 p.m. STS-129 crew members ar... Read Full Story

At the L-1 Atlantis launch countdown status briefing, NASA Test Director Steve Payne reported that all systems are "go" for liftoff and there are no issues being reported to hamper an on-time launch to the International Space Station at 2:28 p.m. EST Monday. "After many, many months of hard work, STS-129 Atlantis and her crew are nearly ready to fly," said Payne. "We've had a clean countdown to date and are currently on schedule with no problems to report." Main avionics check outs are stil... Read Full Story

Launch countdown operations are on schedule with no issues to report, according to officials at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida during the STS-129 prelaunch briefing. With the unfortunate scrub of the Atlas rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station today, space shuttle Atlantis is cleared for launch at 2:28 p.m. EST Monday. "It was a really smooth meeting '¦ Atlantis is ready to go," Mike Moses, space shuttle launch integration manager said. (There was) "a unanimous vote to procee... Read Full Story