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STORY WRITTEN FOR & USED WITH PERMISSIONPosted: May 24, 2010The Atlantis astronauts completed a final inspection of the shuttle's carbon composite nose cap and wing leading edge panels Monday to make sure the ship's most critical heat shield components were not damaged by orbital debris of micrometeoroids since a similar inspection the day after launch.Credit: NASAThe crew also cleaned and stowed spacesuits used during three space station assembly spacewalks in preparation for landing Wednesday at the Kennedy Space Center."We're at the end of our last shift down here," lead Flight Director Mike Sarafin radioed the crew earlier Monday. "The leads and all the folks are just ecstatic with the work that you've done. I can personally say it's been a pleasure working with you guys and watching you work, and I've learned a lot from you guys."We did some math here on the ground and by the time you get to KSC at end of mission on your 186th orbit, the odometer on Atlantis will have crossed 120 million miles. It's because of guys like you, and the men and women who built Atlantis and maintain her and fly her and her sister ships, that we're able to peacefully explore, and we're glad to have folks like that. We're proud of all of you, and we look forward to the return of our fair ship Atlantis, as well as your return. We'll see you on the ground.""Mike, those are some pretty cool words there," Atlantis commander Kenneth Ham replied. "I'm not even going to try to match them. A hundred and twenty million (miles) is pretty darn awesome in my mind. We're sad to see you guys leaving us. ... Thanks for all the help and support from you and your team. We've been having a ball on your behalf. And hopefully we'll see you on the runway in a few days."Atlantis, completing its 32nd and final planned flight, will cross the 120-million-mile mark during the 178th orbit of its current mission around 12:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday, just after the crew wakes up to begin landing preparations.During the first heat shield inspection the day after launch, the pan-and-tilt mechanism on the end of the shuttle's robot arm inspection boom hung up on a cable, forcing the crew to used a secondary fixed camera that could not be positioned as precisely. The crew fell behind and portions of the left wing leading edge were not fully examined.The space station crew helped out later, taking additional pictures with a powerful telephoto lens during the shuttle's approach to the lab complex. Additional photos were taken during one of the crew's spacewalks. Mission managers ultimately concluded the heat shield was in good shape and no additional robot arm inspections were needed.During the crew's second spacewalk, astronaut Stephen Bowen freed the jammed cable and used a wire tie to keep it out of the pan-and-tilt mechanism. For today's inspection, the normal sensor suite was used to examine the wing leading edge panels and the shuttle's nose cap, which experience the most extreme heating during re-entry.The four-hour inspection procedure began around 4:30 a.m., well ahead of schedule."We performed the normal inspection procedures to mitigate the orbital debris risk associated with any spaceflight," Sarafin said. "The crew performed the late inspection with the pan-and-tilt unit we had problems with earlier in the mission. ... It worked great throughout the inspection."Once we get all that imagery (on the ground), the analysts will review that and over the course of the next day provide a thumbs up on the heat shield of Atlantis," he said. "We expect an answer by the crew's midday meal tomorrow. Once we get that answer, the final clearance for re-entry will be given."The astronauts plan to spend the day Tuesday checking out re-entry systems and packing up. Landing back at the Kennedy Space Center is targeted for 8:48 a.m. Wednesday. The forecast calls for a chance of showers in the area that could cause problems, but Atlantis has enough on-board supplies to remain in orbit until Saturday if worse comes to worse."At this point in the mission, all the robotic activities are complete," Sarafin said. "The orbiter boom sensor system and the shuttle's robotic arm are put away in their landing configuration. The checkouts for landing will proceed tomorrow under the guidance of entry Flight Director Tony Ceccacci."Tomorrow, the crew will power up one of the auxiliary power units that provides hydraulic power to the aerosurfaces on Atlantis and we'll check those out, along with some navigational aids. Once those are complete, the crew will proceed into some cabin stow activities and Atlantis will be ready to come home." The final planned flight of space shuttle Atlantis is symbolized in the official embroidered crew patch for STS-132. Available in our store! 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Get this piece of history!STS-134 PatchFree shipping to U.S. addresses!The final planned flight of space shuttle Endeavour is symbolized in the official embroidered crew patch for STS-134. Available in our store!Ares 1-X PatchThe official embroidered patch for the Ares 1-X rocket test flight, is available for purchase.Apollo CollageThis beautiful one piece set features the Apollo program emblem surrounded by the individual mission logos.Project OrionThe Orion crew exploration vehicle is NASA's first new human spacecraft developed since the space shuttle a quarter-century earlier. The capsule is one of the key elements of returning astronauts to the Moon.Fallen Heroes Patch CollectionThe official patches from Apollo 1, the shuttle Challenger and Columbia crews are available in the store. | | | | 2014 Spaceflight Now Inc.Astronauts resort to Plan B for inspecting AtlantisBY WILLIAM HARWOOD