Shuttle cargo bay doors closed
After resolving an issue with the shuttle's re-entry cooling system, the Atlantis astronauts closed the ship's payload bay doors just before 5:30 a.m. EDT. The crew is setting up for a deorbit rocket firing around 7:42 a.m. and a landing at the Kennedy Space Center at 8:48 a.m.
There are no technical problems of any significance aboard Atlantis, but the weather remains a concern. Forecasters say conditions seem to be trending in the right direction, with off-shore rain showers moving away to the southeast.
The official forecast still calls for a chance of showers within 30 nautical miles of the shuttle's runway, but flight controllers are hopeful the weather will cooperate for an on-time landing.
Weather radar showing off-shore showers near the Kennedy
Space Center. (Credit: NASA TV)
There are no technical problems of any significance aboard Atlantis, but the weather remains a concern. Forecasters say conditions seem to be trending in the right direction, with off-shore rain showers moving away to the southeast.
The official forecast still calls for a chance of showers within 30 nautical miles of the shuttle's runway, but flight controllers are hopeful the weather will cooperate for an on-time landing.