Atlantis crew is ready to return to earth

For nearly 10 days at the ISS International Space Station, astronauts have successfully completed the SST-117 mission, even with the fourth additional planned walk, installing new scaffolds for the battery system. Sun. Now the space shuttle Atlantis is heading towards Earth while waiting for the final safety inspection results.

Atlantis cruise astronauts walk in space (Photo: NASA)

The camera attached to the robot arm on the spacecraft clearly shows the wings and nose of the spacecraft after Atlantis left the parking lot at the ISS Station on June 19. NASA experts studied these images to make sure the spacecraft could withstand the very high temperatures of the atmosphere on its way back to Cape Canaveral, Florida (USA).

This inspection was a mandatory procedure after the 2003 Colombian spacecraft disaster, killing seven astronauts. The executive agency in Florida is ready to send instructions to the Kennedy Space Center on both June 21 and June 22.

From space, Captain Rick Sturcknow told the Ground Control Group that Atlantis still has enough fuel until next June 24, but the regulator wants Atlantis to land on Saturday June 23 at the latest . This time will only be moved to 24 June if there are technical issues to be processed

In a daily report sent to the June 20 morning crew, the Ground Control Team said the official Kennedy landing site on June 22 or June 23. The standby location in California was well prepared for June 22. Another place in New Mexico prepared for June 23. The Atlantis crew said goodbye to the ISS after Russian experts tested the microprocessor system on the once-damaged ISS station last week.

More than an hour after Atlantis left the parking lot on the ISS Station, a cloth-like fragment and at least five other tiny pieces were discovered floating. Engineers continue to monitor them through video screens and snapshots to identify."There is no big deal with the shuttle," said Mike Suffredini, NASA space station program manager.

(Photo: AP)

Atlantis spacecraft will bring 6/7 astronauts and Sunita Williams, residents of ISS Station back to earth. Sunita Williams is an astronaut who has set a record of living in space for 6 months, the longest time for an astronaut. Expert Clay Anderson has just arrived from Atlantis ship as her replacement.

According to NASA, the June 20 night (Eastern US time), in the US, it is possible to see the ISS Station and Atlantis. According to NASA spokesman Kylie Clem, visible cities include Denver, Detroit, San Francisco and Washington.

Dang Ngoc Khoa