STS-122: Flight Day 10

With yesterday's spacewalk wrapping up Atlantis' EVAs, Saturday's tasks include further outfitting of the Space Station's new Columbus Module.

Meanwhile, NASA will open up Edwards AFB as a possible landing site to make sure Atlantis gets home before the imminent shootdown of a dead spy satellite. The ISS crew should not be endangered in the attempt. NASA reports:

Columbus Outfitting Continues

Image above: The STS-122 and Expedition 16 crews gather together for a joint crew news conference on Saturday. Photo credit: NASA TV

The space shuttle Atlantis and International Space Station crews are busy today transferring supplies and equipment into the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Columbus laboratory.

This morning, the station got a reboost, a routine procedure to adjust its orbit. The purpose of the reboost was to place the orbital outpost in better position to receive future visitors, including the Expedition 17 crew, who are slated to arrive in April.

Also, the STS-122 and Expedition 16 crews participated in a joint crew news conference.

In addition to delivering the Columbus laboratory to the orbital outpost, Atlantis’ astronauts performed three spacewalks to prepare the module for its scientific work and replaced an expended nitrogen tank on the station. Atlantis also transported ESA astronaut Leopold Eyharts to the station to take the place of Daniel Tani as Expedition 16 flight engineer. Tani is returning to Earth aboard the shuttle.

Atlantis and the STS-122 crew are scheduled to leave the space station on Monday, with undocking slated for 4:26 a.m. that day.

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Flight Day 9 pics and video are up at the JSC Gallery. This morning's news conference here. Discussion here. Status Report #18 here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.