This morning, Piers Sellers and Garrett Reisman operated the station’s robotic arm to return the cargo pallet to the shuttle’s payload bay. The integrated cargo carrier brought up the six new batteries astronauts installed during two spacewalks on Wednesday and Friday. The old batteries were placed on the pallet for return to Earth. At 5:50 a.m. EDT, the carrier was stowed in the space shuttle, completing space station robotic operations for the remainder of Atlantis’ mission.
From 7:40 to 8 a.m., shuttle and International Space Station astronauts will answer elementary and middle school students’ questions from orbit. Students from 12 NASA Explorer Schools submitted their questions earlier by video. Space shuttle Commander Ken Ham, Pilot Tony Antonelli, Mission Specialists Garret Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen, Piers Sellers, and Expedition 23 Flight Engineer Tracy Caldwell Dyson will give answers live on NASA Television.
Today’s mission status briefing with Mike Sarafin, lead shuttle flight director, will air on NASA TV at 10:30 a.m.