11/16/09: Atlantis' crew performs checks, prepares to open payload bay doors.
Mission Control Center Status Report #01
2 p.m. CST Monday, Nov. 16, 2009, Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

Mission: STS-129

Orbiter: Atlantis

Launch Pad: 39A

Launch Date: NET Nov 16, 2009, 14:28:09 EST (19:28:09 UT)

Landing: Nov 27, 2009

Main gear touchdown: 09:44:23 EST

Nose gear touchdown: 09:44:36 EST

Wheels stop: 09:45:05 EST

Orbital Altitude: 122 nautical miles (140 miles)

Orbital Insertion: 191 nautical miles (220 miles)

Orbital Inclination: 51.6 degrees

Distance traveled: ~4.5 million miles

Crew:- Commander: Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot: Barry E. Wilmore; Mission Specialists:- MS1 Leland D Melvin, MS2 Randolph Bresnik, MS3 Michael Foreman, MS4 Robert Satcher, MS5 (landing) Nicole Stott.
Primary Payload: ExPRESS (Expedite the Processing of Experiments to the Space Station) Logistics Carriers ELC1 and ELC2:-

ExPRESS Logistics Carrier-1 manifest:- Ammonia Tank Assembly; Battery Charge Discharge Unit; Space Station Remote Manipulator System Latching End Effector; Control Moment Gyro; Nitrogen Tank Assembly; Pump Module; Plasma Contactor Unit; two empty Passive Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanisms.

ExPRESS Logistics Carrier-2 manifest:- High Pressure Gas Tank; Cargo Transport Container 1 (CTC-1) mounted to a Small Adapter Plate Assembly; Mobile Transporter/Trailing Umbilical System; Control Moment Gyro; Nitrogen Tank Assembly; Pump Module; Utility Transfer Assembly (UTA) Flight Support Equipment (FSE); one empty Payload Passive Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanism.

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 Space Agency and Flight Engineers Jeffrey Williams, Nicole Stott, Roman Romanenko, Maxim Suraev and Robert Thirsk of the Canadian Space Agency.

Following Atlantis’ docking and hatch opening Wednesday, Stott officially becomes a shuttle crew member to return home aboard Atlantis after nearly three months aboard the station.

Shortly after reaching orbit, Atlantis’ crew began procedures to ensure the spaceship is healthy for on-orbit operations and is scheduled to open the payload bay doors at about 2:53 p.m.

The crew’s launch day ends with a thorough checkout of the robotic arm and survey of the payload bay before heading to bed about 7:28 p.m.

Following wakeup at 3:28 a.m. Tuesday, the crew will spend the majority of the day assessing the health of Atlantis' wing leading edge panels and nosecap using the boom/sensor extension and checking out the spacesuits to be worn during three planned spacewalks later in the mission. The crew also will test rendezvous tools and prepare the docking system ahead of arrival at the station.

Atlantis’ mission is the 129th in shuttle program history and the 31st dedicated to station assembly, resupply and maintenance. The mission is focused on storing supplies on the exterior of the station to sustain operations after the space shuttle is retired.

The next shuttle status report will be issued after crew wakeup or earlier if warranted.


Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis; credits: NASA/Sandra Joseph and Kevin O'Connell.

- courtesy of NASA

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