The crew of space shuttle Atlantis was preparing for its first spacewalk Monday to continue construction of the International Space Station, one day after docking with the ISS, according to dpa. Jim Reilly and John "Danny" Olivas will leave the space station's confines at 1853 GMT for more than six hours to begin installing a new set of solar panels delivered by the seven-member Atlantis shuttle. A robotic arm operated from inside the ISS began moving the 17.5- ton truss segment into place hours before the two astronauts were due to begin the spacewalk, one of three planned during the shuttle's 11- day mission. Reilly and Olivas will use the spacewalk to open and connect a set of solar panels that make up the truss segment, one of 11 that will form part of an integrated structure to permanently power the station. NASA officials meanwhile said they were still weighing their options after a portion of a thermal blanket peeled back during Atlantis' launch on Friday. Flight director John Shannon said it would have little effect on the shuttle's re-entry, but that they were nevertheless considering simply pushing it back into place during one of the upcoming space walks. Atlantis launched after sunset Friday from the Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Shuttle astronaut Clayton Anderson will relieve ISS crew member Sunita Williams, who will be coming home on the return flight after serving at the station since December. Anderson will remain on the ISS until October. Williams has spent more time in space than any other woman, and also set a record for time on spacewalks - 29 hours and 17 minutes during four separate ventures. The Atlantis flight is the first of four shuttle missions planned for this year. Further shuttle launches are slated for August, October and December. The current projects are intended to boost the space station's electricity supply in preparation for installation in December of the European module Columbus. That will lay the foundation for the later delivery of the Japanese research module Kibo. The new solar panels are to double power at the station by 2010, when construction on the space station is to be finished. Final occupancy is to be expanded to from three full-time astronauts to six residents.
