In preparation for docking to the International Space Station tomorrow at 11:07 a.m. EDT, the crew has begun its inspection of shuttle Atlantis’ Thermal Protection System. Crew members are using the space shuttle’s robotic arm and 50-foot long orbiter boom sensor system to get a close up look at the shuttle’s wing leading edges and nose cap. A suite of cameras on the end of the boom will capture images of the Reinforced Carbon Carbon, or RCC, that protects the shuttle from the hottest temperatures it experiences. Imagery experts on the ground will comb through the data to make sure that the heat shield remains in good shape. A camera inspection of Atlantis’ tiles will be conducted during its approach to the International Space station on Sunday. Results will be reported in an upcoming Mission Management Team meeting.
Thermal Protection Shield inspections are standard operations to ascertain if there was any ascent damage to the vehicle’s heat shield tiles.