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Shuttle express closes in on space station

Atlantis departs Kennedy Space Center
Atlantis departs Kennedy Space Center  


By Richard Stenger
CNN

(CNN) -- The space shuttle Atlantis gave chase to the international space station on Tuesday, carrying components for the first railroad in space.

The shuttle gained 1,000 miles on the space station every time it circled Earth and should arrive at the orbiting outpost Wednesday afternoon.

The 11-day mission began late Monday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida but almost did not get off the ground. A computer glitch minutes before launch threatened to scrub the flight.

NASA technicians fixed the problem and sent Atlantis and its seven astronauts on their way with 11 seconds remaining in a five-minute launch window.

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EXTRA INFORMATION
Space: The railroad's final frontier 
 
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 •  CNN Presents: what makes the shuttle fly
Movies:
 •  Atlantis returns to earth
 •  Atlantis leaves space station
 •  CNN's Miles O'Brien talks with shuttle crew
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 •  Watch the launch from Kennedy Space Center
 •  NASA animation of completed space station railroad
More resources:
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 •  Milestones in space shuttle history
 • Space: The final frontier for railroads  

The trip had already been delayed four days. On Thursday, a ruptured fuel line on the shuttle platform scrubbed the flight hours before its scheduled launch.

Atlantis should dock with the space station Wednesday at 12:06 p.m. EDT, after which shuttle astronauts will conduct four spacewalks to install a variety of expensive pieces of hardware.

The main one is a squat, three-dimensional, metal trapezoid replete with electrical wires, cables and computers. The $600 million truss will enable future research and construction projects on the expanding station.

The 44-foot (13-meter) long, 13.5-ton structure will have railroad tracks attached to it. In the future, a railcar will shuttle the station's robotic arm, allowing it to grasp and move massive pieces of equipment around the modular outpost.

Atlantis is bringing the first railroad segment along with the $190 million railcar. The track is slated to eventually stretch more than 360 feet (110 meters).

Designing the first railroad for the harsh conditions of space has been no easy task, said NASA engineers.

"These rails will run in temperatures far hotter than any desert and far colder than any mountain," said Tom Farell of NASA's Johnson Space Center in a statement. Moreover, "we've done a lot of work to make certain it can't jump the tracks ... during all the station's activities, like re-boosting its orbit or having visiting vehicles dock."

The shuttle will also carry along scientific experiments. One known as the Photosynthetic Experiment and System Testing and Operation, or PESTO, could lead to better space food.

The wheat growth project, which will remain on the station at least two months, could help scientists determine how to grow grains in space, raising the prospect of astronauts baking their own bread.

The shuttle mission is the 13th to visit the international space station.
The shuttle mission is the 13th to visit the international space station.  

For the three space station residents, the arrival of Atlantis will mean a cuisine improvement. The shuttle astronauts, the first visitors to the space station since the current space station inhabitants arrived in December, are bringing fresh food and supplies to the orbiting outpost.



 
 
 
 



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