Shuttle Gets Set to Dock With Space Station

The space shuttle Atlantis, partially blinded with the loss of a key navigational tool, began a series of precise maneuvers Saturday designed to lead to a docking with the International Space Station.

The shuttle and its crew of U.S. astronauts and Russian cosmonauts are on a supply and outfitting run to the orbiting construction complex in advance of the first long-duration crew’s arrival in November.

The shuttle was trailing the space station by about 403 miles as the astronauts began their workday with a call from fellow astronaut Shannon Lucid at Mission Control in Houston.

“Good morning, Atlantis, and welcome to rendezvous day,” said Lucid, herself a veteran of 188 days aboard the Russian space station Mir in 1996 during an astronaut-cosmonaut exchange program.

“Looks like a great day. We’re looking forward to it,” called back Atlantis commander Terrence Wilcutt. After a breakfast of oatmeal and coffee, Wilcutt began preparations to fire the shuttle’s jets, cutting the orbiter’s speed three hours before the scheduled docking.

Before starting a sleep period Saturday, the astronauts tried to reactivate a balky navigational tool that had first failed on Friday. But the star tracker instrument failed again when restarted and was turned off for what was likely to be the duration of the flight.

Although the star tracker is used during the finely choreographed mating of shuttle and station as each fly along at about 5 miles a second, NASA predicted its loss should not prove troublesome.

“It’s a minor procedural delta,” said lead flight director Phil Engelauf, using space agency jargon for “no big deal.” Instead of approaching the station as planned, Wilcutt, a U.S. Marine Corps colonel, will tilt the shuttle so he can get a reading from a similar instrument on the left wing. Wilcutt can also make use of a navigational tool normally used during landing.

Engelauf said this was the first time he could recall a star tracker failing, adding that shuttle crews train for such a possibility.

The shuttle has enough fuel to extend the 11-day mission one day, but Engelauf said a decision would not be made until after docking.