King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language launches program with Indiana University    Saudi, US military leaders discuss enhanced defense cooperation in Riyadh    Ronaldo brace powers Al Nassr past Al Hilal in Riyadh derby thriller    Ed Sheeran weaves Persian music into new song, Azizam    Al-Jadaan: Crown Prince's directives confirm government's ability to bring back balance to real estate market    China retaliates against Trump's trade war with 34% reciprocal tariffs on US goods    Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli escalation, targeting of civilians and Saudi warehouse in Gaza    Danish PM dismisses US desire to annex Greenland 'You cannot annex another country'    Bulgaria's government survives no-confidence vote brought by pro-Russia party    Saudi Crown Prince, Iranian president discuss regional developments in Eid phone call    Rain expected in Makkah and Jeddah on Saturday    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Foreign investors are allowed to engage in real estate business outside Makkah and Madinah Commercial speculation should not be the purpose of real estate transaction    Aubameyang fires Al Qadsiah into King's Cup final with stoppage-time winner over Al Raed    Tesla sales plunge after backlash against Elon Musk    Musk's X is suing India, as Tesla and Starlink plan entry    Swedish table tennis legend Jörgen Persson appointed head coach of Saudi national team    Danilo Pereira fires Al Ittihad into King's Cup final with dramatic stoppage-time double    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Atlantis links up with space station
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 18 - 11 - 2009


The space shuttle Atlantis arrived
at the International Space Station today on a supply mission
to build up its reserves, according to dpa.
Atlantis, which launched from the Kennedy Space Centre on an 11-
day mission on Monday, carries six astronauts to the station 350
kilometres above Earth.
Before docking, Atlantis did a backflip manoeuvre that allowed
astronauts to check for any damage to the shuttle"s heat shield. NASA
officials said after launch that they did not have any concerns about
damage to heat shield tiles during launch.
The crew is bringing thousands of kilogrammes of supplies as the
shuttle programme enters its expected final year in 2010. After this
week"s mission, there are just five more flights scheduled.
The shuttle will deliver two platforms with 12,360 kilogrammes of
spare parts, which will be installed on the outside of the station.
It is also bringing replacement parts for a urine recycling system
that has frequently malfunctioned and been supplied with new parts
since being installed a year ago.
As the first of several flights devoted largely to delivering
spare parts, this mission is laden with the highest-priority items.
The so-called Express Logistics Carriers contain a variety of
crucial parts: Gyroscopes that help keep the ISS at the proper
altitude in space; an extra hand for the station"s robotic arm; a gas
tank for providing oxygen to the airlock during spacewalks; parts for
the station"s cooling system.
Astronauts will conduct three six-hour spacewalks to transfer
spare parts and prepare for the installation of new modules. The
first is set for Thursday, when two spacewalkers will focus on
transferring a spare antenna, attaching power for heaters and
lubricating the Japanese robotic arm.
The retirement deadline of the shuttle is fast approaching with
just five more launches scheduled and one year left to go in the
programme.
NASA is at work on developing the next generation spacecraft with
an eye on returning humans to the moon or travelling to Mars and
beyond. It will carry the crew on top of the rocket in a
configuration that recalls the Apollo moon missions and which
engineers say is safer than the space shuttle design, following the
explosion of the Columbia in 2003.
The flight is the last time the shuttle will be used to take an
ISS crew member back to Earth. US astronaut Nicole Stott has been
living aboard the ISS for three months.


Clic here to read the story from its source.