Shuttle Undocks From Space Station, Readies for Re-Entry

Jun 20, 07:29 AM

Current Headlines: By MIKE SCHNEIDER

By Mike Schneider

The Associated Press

HOUSTON

Hours after undocking from the international space station Tuesday, Atlantis' seven astronauts finished a final inspection of the space shuttle to make sure its heat shield was ready to re- enter Earth's atmosphere.

Atlantis' 13-day mission was scheduled to end with a landing at 1:54 p.m. Thursday, although the weather at Kennedy Space Center looked iffy.

Continuing a tradition, space station commander Fyodor Yurchikhin rang a bell and said "Atlantis departing" as the space shuttle pulled away.

"Have a great remainder of your expedition," Atlantis commander Rick Sturckow told the two Russian cosmonauts and one U.S. astronaut remaining at the station. "We'll see you back on planet Earth."

Pilot Lee Archambault steered Atlantis away from the space station and went on a quick trip around the station to photograph the solar arrays the crew installed on the half-built home 220 miles above Earth.

More than an hour after the shuttle undocked , a piece of debris that looked like a blanket and at least five tiny flashing particles floated by the space station.

While NASA engineers are still reviewing video and photographs and do no t know what the piece of debris might be, the flashing particles could be pieces of ice that are a byproduct of the shuttle's jets, said Cathy Koer-ner, flight director.

Mike Suffredini, NASA's space station program manager, said initial analysis of the piece of debris doesn't indicate it came from the space station and points to it being a small object.

"It's not a big concern," he said.

Results of the final inspection of the heat shield won't be ready until to day, Koer-ner said, but problems aren't anticipated.

U.S. astronaut Clay Anderson told Mission Control that the station successfully took over orientation control after the shuttle undocked. That had been a concern since computers controlling the outpost's positioning crashed last week. They were revived last weekend.

Atlantis was no t cleared to leave until the Russian computers passed a test to take control of the station's thrusters Monday. Astronauts on Atlantis had turned off lights and computers to conserve fuel in case the shuttle needed to stay at the station an extra day.

A camera attached to a robotic arm and boom surveyed the shuttle's wings and nose cap to make sure the shuttle was undamaged and could withstand the intense heat of re-entering Earth's atmosphere. That inspection was added to all shuttle missions after the Columbia accident in 2003 killed seven astronauts.

The inspection was conducted with Atlantis about 46 miles from the station so the shuttle could return to the outpost if something was wrong. Engineers on the ground planned to study the images before managers gave final approval for landing.

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