Updated: Space Shuttle Atlantis Landing Live Today @ 3:49 pm EDT Edwards AFB, CA

06/21/07 | Kevin Davis

[BenLurkin]

Yes, I imagine there will be a ‘press conference’ —sound is came on briefly — sounded like a mic check.

[bd476]

Press conference about ready to begin now. Just heard "test test" and can hear overflying helos in background.

Video of female reporter approaching man in blue jumpsuit. It sort of looked as if she was being shooed away.

[Cyber Liberty]

That was a nice, short presser. Wonder where the lady is?

[bd476]

Cyber Liberty wrote: "That was a nice, short presser. Wonder where the lady is?"

Good question. She was supposed to return with this crew.

Astronaut Suni Williams Sets the Record Straight, and Long 06.16.07

[bd476]

Did you hear/see any mention about the female astronaut, Suni Williams?

[BenLurkin]

I thought I saw her in a long shot coming down the steps of the trailer and waiving with one hand and carrying something in the other This was not long before they cut to the handheld camera on the runway.

The door on the trailer closed. A guy who looked a bit like L.A> area reporter Huell Howser ran halfway up the steps and the door reopened. The men then emerged, including the fellow in the red cap, but she and I think one other person had already left in some kind of vehicle.

[Cyber Liberty]

Thanks! Glad I tuned to NASA channel.

[bd476]

LIVE Press Conference Now

Atlantis Lands in California



Image above: Space shuttle Atlantis touches down at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Image credit: NASA TV

Official Landing Times

Main gear touchdown:
3:49:38 p.m. EDT

Nose gear touchdown:
3:49:49 p.m. EDT

Wheels stop:
3:50:48 p.m. EDT

Total miles:
5.8 million

Space shuttle Atlantis descended to a smooth landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., concluding a successful assembly mission to the International Space Station. With Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Lee Archambault at the controls, Atlantis landed at 3:49 p.m. EDT.

The STS-117 crew began its mission June 8 and arrived at the station June 10. They quickly began work to install the Starboard 3 and 4 (S3/S4) truss structure to the outpost and retracted a set of arrays on the Port 6 (P6) truss. The (S3/S4) contains a new set of solar arrays that increases station power-generation capabilities. The P6 will be relocated during a future assembly mission.

Mission Specialists Patrick Forrester, John “Danny” Olivas, Jim Reilly and Steven Swanson conducted a total of four spacewalks to activate the S3/S4 and to retract the P6 arrays. During the third spacewalk, Olivas repaired an out of position thermal blanket on the left orbital maneuvering system pod.

Landing also marked the end of a record-setting spaceflight by Mission Specialist Suni Williams. She broke the record for the longest spaceflight by a woman early in the morning on June 16.

Williams’ journey began in December with the launch of STS-116. She lived on the space station for six months before switching places on the STS-117 crew with Clayton Anderson, who is now a flight engineer on the station. When Atlantis landed, she had accumulated 194 days, 18 hours and 58 minutes during her spaceflight.

STS-117 is the 118th shuttle mission and 21st mission to visit the space station. The next mission, STS-118, is slated to launch in August.

Atlantis Lands in California

[verum ago]

I saw them last night... after obsessedly watching the space station a few years ago when it got its first set of huge solar panels that made it brighter than Venus at times when i looked up and saw some sort of satellite moving across the sky and then some time later a dimmer one on the same track I kinda said, "huh, I guess that was the ISS and the Space Shuttle" without even having to think about it. It took me a moment to reaqcuire the awe that those weren't just two dots, those are people up there...

[verum ago]

total miles: 5.8 million

I hope they changed the oil while they were at the ISS...

[nicmarlo]

Traffic is worse than ever.

Yeah..I know. I was out there last December; will be out there again come August for a visit. It's crazy, unbelievable how bad.

[nicmarlo]

thanks again, btw, for the links so I could watch earlier.

appreciate it.

[moonman]

"We recorded the twin sonic booms, I'll put it on in a minute so you won't feel left out."

Thanks! :)

[winodog]

Thanks.
I admit to being a little worried because of the delay coming back and the tear in the insulation.

[Coyoteman]

total miles: 5.8 million

I hope they changed the oil while they were at the ISS...

But what was the warranty period!???!

(And you realize that all of those millions of parts were built by the lowest bidders, eh?)