Repaired shuttle to launch Friday
With its external fuel tank repaired after a hailstorm three months ago, space shuttle Atlantis got the go-ahead Thursday from NASA for a June 8 launch to resume construction of the International Space Station.
Barring technical or weather problems, Atlantis is to lift off at 4:38 p.m. PDT from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA will use Atlantis to ferry a new crew member to the space station and bring home astronaut Sunita Williams, who has been aboard the outpost since December. Atlantis will also carry a new set of power-producing solar panels to the station.
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