February 20, 2001 - Atlantis' astronauts glided to a belated but textbook touchdown at Edwards Air Force Base, California today, wrapping up a 5.3 million mile mission to deliver the U.S. Laboratory Destiny to the International Space Station (ISS). With Commander Ken Cockrell at the controls, Atlantis darted through high clouds over the Mojave Desert test center to touch down at 3:33 p.m. EST on concrete runway 2-2. The landing was the 47th at Edwards to bring the 102nd flight in program history to a close.

Atlantis was diverted to California after broken clouds and precipitation formed over the landing strip at the Kennedy Space Center, preventing Atlantis from returning to the Florida spaceport in the two opportunities which were available today. Instead, Entry Flight Director Leroy Cain ordered Atlantis to land 3000 miles to the West at Edwards, where the weather was deemed acceptable for landing. Cockrell, Pilot Mark Polansky and Mission Specialists Bob Curbeam, Marsha Ivins and Tom Jones were greeted by high, thin clouds at Edwards, but they posed no problem for Cockrell as he took over manual control of Atlantis a few minutes prior to landing.

February 19, 2001 - After an extra day in orbit, Atlantis' astronauts tried again to return to the Kennedy Space Center today to wrap up a mission to deliver the U.S. Laboratory Destiny to the International Space Station (ISS). However, weather forecasts indicate the possibility of gusty winds and decks of broken clouds at the Shuttle Landing Facility at the Cape this afternoon similar to the conditions that forced a waveoff of the Shuttle's return yesterday and today's landing was also waved off.

Atlantis had two opportunities today for a landing at the Kennedy Space Center. The first, on orbit 185, calls for a firing of Atlantis' braking rockets at 12:21 p.m. EST with a landing on KSC's Shuttle runway 3-3 at 1:27 p.m. EST. Atlantis' cargo bay doors would be closed at around 9:40 a.m. this morning in preparation for that first landing opportunity. A backup opportunity is also available on the following orbit, with a deorbit firing of the orbital maneuvering system engines at 1:57 p.m. EST and a landing at 3:03 p.m. EST. There are also two landing opportunities on the following orbits at the backup landing site for Atlantis at California's Edwards Air Force Base, which was activated for landing support. But gusty winds, low clouds and the chance of rain showers made a landing at Edwards a highly unlikely possibility for flight controllers to consider.

February 18, 2001 - Atlantis' astronauts were awakened just before 5 a.m. EST Sunday, for what they thought would be a homecoming at the Kennedy Space Center later today, however Atlantis' homecoming was delayed today until Monday as gusty winds at the Kennedy Space Center forced a waveoff of the Shuttle's landing at the Florida spaceport.

Commander Ken Cockrell, Pilot Mark Polansky and Mission Specialists Bob Curbeam, Marsha Ivins and Tom Jones were ordered to stay in orbit for an extra day after Entry Flight Director Leroy Cain concluded that crosswinds at the 3-mile long Shuttle Landing Facility were out of limits despite crystal clear skies. Atlantis' crew had only two opportunities today in which to return to Earth.

The astronauts closed the Shuttle's cargo bay doors just after 9 a.m. EST this morning as Cain and his team of flight controllers closely monitored the winds in Florida. Throughout the morning, winds were observed to be gusting in excess of the 15 knot crosswind limit for a daytime landing, and at 12:47 p.m. EST, Cain called off today's landing efforts.

Shortly after today's landing attempts were called off, Atlantis' astronauts reopened the Shuttle's payload bay doors and removed their launch and entry suits to begin their bonus day in space. The astronauts began an eight-hour sleep period at about 8:43 p.m. EST tonight and will be awakened at 4:43 a.m. Monday to begin their pre-landing preparations.

Atlantis continues to orbit the Earth in excellent shape, completing an orbit of the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of 237 statute miles.

February 17, 2001 - Awakened by Mission Control at 5:13 a.m. EST to begin what should be their final full day in space, Commander Ken Cockrell, Pilot Mark Polansky and Mission Specialists Marsha Ivins, Tom Jones and Bob Curbeam made sure that all of the systems they will use in Sunday's planned landing are in good working order, and finished packing up for the ride home.

Commander Ken Cockrell and Pilot Mark Polansky tested the manifold valves of their reaction control system jets, but didn't perform the usual "hot firing" of the jets that will be used to guide the shuttle's descent into the atmosphere, since the jets were used extensively during the mission. They also checked out Atlantis' three hydraulic power units and the aerodynamic control surfaces they drive.

Before lunch, Cockrell and Polansky were joined by Mission Specialists Robert Curbeam, Tom Jones and Marsha Ivins for a review of the deorbit and entry procedures they'll use. After lunch, the entire crew pitched in to stow their supplies and equipment for landing, and took turns exercising. The five astronauts began their sleep period tonight 30 minutes earlier than on previous days, at 8:43 p.m. EST, and will awaken at 4:43 a.m. to begin suiting up for landing.

Atlantis and the International Space Station continue to revolve around the Earth in great shape, with all systems functioning normally. The shuttle is leading the station by about 215 statute miles, with the gap widening by about 15 miles every orbit.

February 16, 2001 - The crews of the Space Shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station parted company at 9:06 a.m. EST, as Pilot Mark Polansky flew Atlantis halfway around the station and its new Destiny laboratory before moving off toward a Sunday landing.

Polansky and STS-98 crewmates Ken Cockrell, Marsha Ivins, Bob Curbeam and Tom Jones said good-bye to Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev and closed the hatches between the two spacecraft at 8:14 a.m. after a total of 63 hours and 9 minutes of open-hatch operations. Undocking occurred over the Western Pacific northeast of New Guinea breaking contact with the station after 6 days, 21 hours and 15 minutes.

The Atlantis crew will awaken at 5:13 a.m. Saturday and continue to make ready for a Sunday landing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The forecast calls for favorable conditions at the landing strip for a 12:50 p.m. EST touchdown, although winds are expected to be gusty.

Atlantis and the ISS are orbiting at an altitude of about 237 statute miles with the shuttle now about 60 miles ahead and widening the gap about 10 miles every orbit.

February 15, 2001 - The crews of the Space Shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station spent a final full day together today, completing the transfer of about one and a half tons of gear to the station, finishing work together in the station's new Destiny Lab, and preparing for the shuttle's departure on Friday.

Atlantis also gave the station a final boost, with Commander Ken Cockrell setting the shuttle's jets to fire gradually and increase the altitude of the shuttle and station for a fourth time on the flight. When Atlantis undocks tomorrow, the station will be about 16 statute miles higher than when the shuttle arrived.

Inside the spacecraft, the crews transferred a total of 3,000 pounds of equipment and supplies to the station from Atlantis, including water, food, spare parts, a spare Russian carbon dioxide removal system, a spare computer, clothes, movies and other items. About 850 pounds of trash - used batteries, packing materials no longer needed, empty food containers and other items - was moved from the station to Atlantis.

The shuttle and station crews went to sleep at about 9:13 p.m. EST. The shuttle crew will awaken at 5:13 a.m. Friday and the station crew will awaken about a half-hour later.

February 14, 2001 - Following a wakeup call to the sounds of "Fly Me to the Moon" by Savage Garden shortly after 5 a.m. EST, Atlantis' astronauts began preparing for the third and final scheduled space walk of this mission, the 100th in U.S. spaceflight history.

The two astronauts exited Atlantis' airlock at 9:48 a.m. EST. During five hours and 25 minutes outside, they attached a spare communications antenna to the International Space Station's exterior; double-checked connections between the Destiny lab and its docking port; released a cooling radiator on the station; inspected solar array connections at the top of the station; and tested the ability of a spacewalker to carry an immobile crew member back to the shuttle airlock. The spacewalk work all went smoothly, and the two reentered Atlantis at 3:13 p.m. EST.

Three hours later, at 6:14 p.m. EST, the shuttle and station crews reopened hatches between the two spacecraft, beginning about 36 hours of side-by-side activities. The two crews will say a final farewell and close the hatches just after 7 a.m. EST on Friday in preparation for Atlantis' undocking later that morning. The shuttle and station crews will go to sleep at 9:13 p.m. EST today. The shuttle crew will awaken at 5:13 a.m. EST Thursday and the station crew will awaken a half-hour later.

February 13, 2001 - Atlantis' astronauts were awakened shortly after 5 a.m. EST today to AC/DC's "For Those About to Rock", announcing the start of Flight Day 7 on board the Shuttle. About two hours later, International Space Station (ISS) flight controllers began a series of critical tests to insure that the newly activated computers in the Destiny Laboratory module of the ISS could take over control of the orientation of the Station from Russian segment computers. It was the first time that U.S. computers in Destiny provided control of the ISS, an important first in Station operations to preserve propellant previously used in orienting the ISS to the sun for the generation of electricity.

The Expedition One crewmembers - Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev - were awakened a short time before the tests began, having been granted two additional hours of sleep after working late Monday night to continue the activation and checkout of Destiny's systems.

The so-called "control authority" tests will continue throughout the week, as control of the Station is handed back and forth between the Zvezda module and Destiny, verifying that the new laboratory can provide command and control capability for Station orientation through the operation of four large gyroscopic devices housed on the Station's Z1 truss. The gyros were operating perfectly early today, displaying good speeds and normal temperatures as they worked to gently steer the Station to provide correct alignment of the U.S. and Russian module solar arrays to the sun.

While the Space Shuttle crew had about a half-day break, the station crew - Commander Bill Shepherd, Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev and Pilot Yuri Gidzenko - continued their work powering up and checking out laboratory systems. All of the lab's systems are working well, except for one supplementary carbon dioxide removal system in which a pump failed to operate when first powered on. Station flight controllers quickly asked the crew to power off the system and are continuing to troubleshoot the problem. There is no urgency in activating the lab's supplemental carbon dioxide removal system - a similar Russian system in the station's Zvezda module is working well as has been the case throughout the station crew's stay.

During the day, Shuttle Commander Ken Cockrell once again set Atlantis' thrusters to fire gradually in two extended sessions to increase the station's altitude, the second and third sets of such maneuvers during the mission thus far. The reboosts raised the station and shuttle by another almost six statute miles today, to an orbit with an average altitude of 230 statute miles. One more such reboost is planned before Atlantis departs, leaving the station 16 statute miles higher than when the shuttle docked.

Hatches remain closed between Atlantis and the ISS. They will be reopened following tomorrow's spacewalk for one more day of joint operations inside Destiny on Thursday. The shuttle and station crew went to sleep at about 9:13 p.m. EST. The shuttle crew will awaken at 5:13 a.m. Wednesday and the station crew will awaken a half-hour later. Atlantis and the ISS are orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 230 statute miles with all systems operating in excellent shape.

February 12, 2001 - After Commander Ken Cockrell, Pilot Mark Polansky and Mission Specialists Marsha Ivins, Tom Jones and Bob Curbeam were awakened just after 5 a.m. EST today to the sounds of Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon", Jones and Curbeam began gearing up for the donning of their spacesuits. The start of the second of three planned spacewalks on this flight was at 10:40 a.m. EST when they exited Atlantis' airlock.

Inside the shuttle, Marsha Ivins operated Atlantis' robotic arm, latching on to the docking port and, with visual cues provided by Jones and Curbeam, removing it from a location on the station truss where it had been temporarily stowed on Saturday. Jones and Curbeam then relocated themselves to the end of the Destiny Lab, where they again provided visual cues as Ivins moved the port into its new position. The port was then latched in place, and ground controllers will send further commands tonight to finish tightening bolts that will secure it to the lab. Called Pressurized Mating Adapter 2, it will become the primary docking port for future shuttle visits.

The two spacewalkers then moved rapidly through a variety of tasks, including the installation of insulating covers over the pins that had held Destiny in place during launch; attaching a vent to part of the lab's air system; putting wires, handrails and sockets on the exterior of Destiny as aids for future spacewalkers; and attaching a base for the future space station robotic arm, scheduled for launch on an April shuttle flight. With all of the tasks planned for today's spacewalk completed, and still time available, the astronauts then moved to tasks that had originally been planned for the third spacewalk of the flight. Ahead of schedule, they connected several computer and electrical cables between the docking port and the lab; unveiled the lab's large, high-quality window and attached an exterior shutter; and repositioned a movable foot platform they had taken inside Atlantis on the first spacewalk for a slight adjustment.

Jones and Curbeam climbed back into the shuttle airlock and ended the spacewalk at 5:49 p.m. EST, giving the outside work a total duration of 6 hours, 50 minutes. The spacewalk was the 99th time in history that U.S. astronauts had ventured outside of a spacecraft, and the 59th spacewalk from a Space Shuttle.

While the spacewalk was under way, space station ground controllers sent commands to begin spinning and testing four large station gyroscopes attached to the station truss that are operated by electronics inside the Destiny Lab. The gyroscopes are working well, and testing will continue until early Tuesday morning. Later Tuesday, they are planned to take over control of the station's orientation from the spacecraft's jet thrusters, conserving precious fuel aboard the station. The Control Moment Gyroscopes, spinning at 6,600 revolutions per minute, are planned to be the primary method for controlling the station's orientation.

The shuttle and station crews went to sleep at about 9:13 p.m. EST. The shuttle crew will awaken at 5:13 a.m. and the station crew will awaken at 5:43 a.m.

February 11, 2001 - Awakened to the sounds of the "Blue Danube Waltz" from the movie, "2001: A Space Odyssey", Atlantis' astronauts geared up for their first entry into the newly installed Destiny Laboratory of the International Space Station. Commander Ken Cockrell, Pilot Mark Polansky, and Mission Specialists Bob Curbeam, Marsha Ivins and Tom Jones, and the Expedition One crew --- Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev, were allowed to sleep later than planned after having worked late Saturday night to activate Destiny's critical systems. At the time of the Atlantis astronauts' wakeup shortly after 6 a.m. EST, Destiny's critical thermal control system was operating perfectly, having reduced temperatures inside the new research facility to a comfortable 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Station Commander Bill Shepherd opened the Destiny hatch, and he and Shuttle Commander Ken Cockrell ventured inside at 9:38 a.m. EST. Members of both crews went to work quickly inside the new module, activating air systems, fire extinguishers, alarm systems, computers and internal communications. The crew also continued equipment transfers from the shuttle to the station and filmed several scenes onboard the station using an MAX camera. Cockrell also set Atlantis steering jets to fire periodically over the course of several hours to gradually boost the station and shuttle's altitude by almost five miles. The reboost was the first of three such maneuvers that will be performed while Atlantis is docked. When complete, the reboosts will increase the station's altitude by more than 18 miles.

After a full day working side by side, the station and shuttle crews parted company at 5:40 p.m., closing the hatches in preparation for a second spacewalk by Astronauts Tom Jones and Bob Curbeam on Monday. After the hatches closed, Shuttle Pilot Mark Polansky reduced Atlantis' cabin pressure slightly while Jones and Curbeam wore oxygen masks, part of a protocol to purge nitrogen from the bodies of the spacewalkers.

The station and shuttle crews went to sleep at about 9:13 p.m. EST today. The shuttle crew is to awaken at 5:13 a.m. Monday and the station crew is to awaken half an hour later.

February 10, 2001 - Less than two hours after being awakened to the bluegrass sounds of "Girl's Breakdown" by Alison Brown for robot arm operator Marsha Ivins, Commander Ken Cockrell and Pilot Mark Polansky conducted a series of small jet firings, raising the altitude of Atlantis and the ISS by about a mile after preliminary predictions indicated that a tiny fragment of defunct Russian space hardware might pass within 250 meters of the orbiting complex. The maneuver put the Atlantis and the ISS well away from the debris.

Astronaut Marsha Ivins began the work of installing the U.S. Destiny Laboratory onto the station in a dazzling display of robotics finesse. Using Atlantis' robotic arm to remove a station docking port, called Pressurized Mating Adapter 2 (PMA 2), she made room for Destiny. The adapter was removed from the station's Unity module and latched in a temporary position on the station's truss. Then, at 10:50 a.m., astronauts Tom Jones and Bob Curbeam began a spacewalk that continued throughout the day, in tandem with Ivin's robotic arm work. Jones provided Ivins visual cues as she moved the adapter to its temporary position, and Curbeam removed protective launch covers and disconnected power and cooling cables between the Destiny lab and Atlantis.

Ivins then latched the robotic arm onto the Destiny lab at about 12:23 p.m. EST and began lifting it from Atlantis' payload bay. High above the bay, Ivins deftly flipped the 16-ton lab 180 degrees, moving it into position to attach to the station berthing port. At 1:57 p.m., the lab was latched into position on the station, and soon a set of automatic bolts tightened to hold it permanently in place for years of space research. The lab adds 3,800 cubic feet of volume to the station, increasing the onboard living space by 41 percent.The station's mass is now 112 tons. After the PMA 2 docking port is attached to the lab's end on Monday, the station will measure 171 feet long, 90 feet high and 240 feet wide. It will have a volume of more than 13,000 cubic feet, already a larger volume than any space station in history, including the U.S. Skylab launched in the 1970s and the Russian Mir space station.

With the Destiny module secured to the station, Jones and Curbeam began connecting electrical, data and cooling lines. While Curbeam was attaching a cooling line, a small amount of frozen ammonia crystals leaked. However, the leak was quickly stopped. The ammonia dissipated and vaporized, and it posed no problems as the crew continued their work. Because of the leak, however, flight controllers followed a decontamination procedure, ensuring no ammonia would enter Atlantis' cabin. Curbeam remained in the sun a half-hour to vaporize any ammonia crystals on his spacesuit while Jones brushed off the suit and equipment. Then, the spacewalkers performed a partial pressurization and venting of the shuttle airlock to flush out any ammonia before a final repressurization. Finally, as the airlock began exchanging air with the shuttle cabin, Commander Ken Cockrell, Pilot Mark Polansky and Ivins wore oxygen masks in the cabin for about 20 minutes as a protective measure, allowing any residual ammonia to be cleansed from the cabin by shuttle life support systems. In the end, the crew reported no contamination or smell of ammonia when the inside airlock hatch was opened and they were rejoined by Jones and Curbeam.

The decontamination procedures lengthened the spacewalk to a final duration of seven hours, 34 minutes, more than an hour longer than originally planned, and put the crew behind schedule for the remainder of the day's work. That work included reopening the hatches between Atlantis and the station, which occurred at 8:50 p.m. EST. About a half-hour later, Commander Ken Cockrell and International Space Station Commander Bill Shepherd began remotely powering up key Destiny laboratory systems and cooling equipment, sending commands via a laptop computer. The initial activation of Destiny was successful, and flight controllers will continue commanding to set up station systems during the night.

The crew had an extended day, beginning their sleep period almost two hours later than was first planned. As a result, flight controllers are planning to awaken the crew at 6:13 a.m. EST on Sunday, an hour later than originally planned. The crews of Atlantis and the station will work together throughout the day on Sunday, opening the hatch into Destiny for the first time at about 9:13 a.m. Central and continuing to activate its equipment.

February 9, 2001 - With the U.S. Destiny laboratory module in its cargo hold, Atlantis was only 230 statute miles from the Station at the time Atlantis' astronauts were awakened just after 5 a.m. EST to the sounds of "Who Let the Dogs Out", played in honor of Commander Ken Cockrell, who previously flew on a Shuttle mission with astronauts dubbed the "Dog Crew". Sailing at 17,000 miles per hour 200 miles above the Pacific, Commander Ken Cockrell flawlessly pulled the Space Shuttle Atlantis alongside the International Space Station this morning and docked, in position to add the new Destiny laboratory to the complex tomorrow and begin a new era in space research.

Atlantis docked to the station on schedule at 11:51 a.m. EST, and the station and shuttle crews opened hatches between the spacecraft at 2:03 p.m., promptly beginning to unload supplies. The three-member station crew of Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev, on the eve of their 100th day aboard the outpost, greeted their first visitors in almost two months. The hatches were open for about four hours before they were closed in preparation for the first of three upcoming spacewalks, a six-hour sojourn tomorrow from Atlantis by astronauts Bob Curbeam and Tom Jones.

While the hatches were open, the crews transferred from the shuttle to the station three 12-gallon bags of water; a spare computer for the station's Zvezda living quarters; several cables to be installed inside the station to power up Destiny after it is attached; and a variety of personal items for the station crew, including gifts from family and friends, fresh food, and movies.

After the hatches were closed today, the air pressure aboard Atlantis was reduced slightly to prepare for tomorrow's spacewalk, part of a protocol that purges nitrogen from the bodies of spacewalkers to prevent decompression sickness as they go to the low-pressure environment of spacesuits. With the hatches closed, the shuttle crew discovered that three connectors which are planned to be installed on the lab's exterior during tomorrow's spacewalk were inadvertently left aboard the station. The two crews then used the station's docking compartment as a type of airlock to transfer the connectors back to Atlantis. The station and shuttle crews will go to sleep at 9:13 p.m. today. The shuttle crew will awaken at 5:13 a.m. Saturday and the station crew will awaken a half-hour later.

February 8, 2001 - After a slightly abbreviated sleep period, Atlantis' astronauts were awakened at 7:13 a.m. EST as the Shuttle trailed the Station by approximately 2,000 statute miles (3,200 kilometers). The first wakeup call of the flight was "Where You At", a jazz selection by Pilot Mark Polansky's late uncle, Zoot Sims. With the 16-ton, bus-sized Destiny laboratory now virtually weightless in its cargo bay, the Space Shuttle Atlantis today drew ever closer to Destiny's permanent home. Atlantis is planned to dock with the station at about 11:50 a.m. EST Friday.

Aboard Atlantis, astronauts Tom Jones and Bob Curbeam checked out the spacesuits they will wear for three spacewalks during the next week to finalize connections between the new laboratory and the station. As suit checks were conducted on the lower deck of Atlantis, on the upper deck Astronaut Marsha Ivins powered up the shuttle's robotic arm and surveyed the cargo bay, finding everything in good shape. The arm will be used to lift the Destiny lab out of the shuttle bay on Saturday and maneuver it into position to attach to the station.

Periodically, Commander Ken Cockrell and Pilot Mark Polansky fired Atlantis' thrusters to adjust the rate at which the shuttle is closing in on the International Space Station, maintaining a course toward Friday's docking.The International Space Station is in a 229 by 214 statute mile orbit. Atlantis and the station crew will go to sleep at 9:13 p.m. EST today. Atlantis' crew will awaken at 5:13 a.m. Friday, and the station crew will awaken at 5:43 a.m.

February 7, 2001 - Commander Ken Cockrell, Pilot Mark Polansky and Mission Specialists Bob Curbeam, Marsha Ivins and Tom Jones rocketed away from Launch Pad 39-A at 6:13p.m. EST, lighting up the central Florida skies at sunset to deliver the U.S. Laboratory Destiny to the International Space Station (ISS), the cornerstone of scientific research on the complex and the new command and control center for Station operations. The launch was delayed by about two minutes while ground controllers resolved a false reading from a sensor in a data relay unit on the Shuttle. Atlantis' flight is the 102nd Space Shuttle mission.

Less than nine minutes after liftoff, Atlantis' astronauts went to work to prepare the Shuttle's systems for their planned 11-day mission. The first major task on the flight plan was to open Atlantis' cargo bay doors prior to receiving a "go" for orbital operations from Ascent Flight Director Leroy Cain. The astronauts are expected to set up computers and flight deck gear before beginning an eight-hour sleep period at 11:11 p.m. EST. The Shuttle crew will be awakened at 7:11 a.m. Thursday to begin its first full day in space.

Overview - The crew will continue the task of building and enhancing the International Space Station by delivering the U.S. laboratory module. The Shuttle will spend six days docked to the station while the laboratory is attached and three spacewalks are conducted to complete its assembly. The STS-98 mission will occur while the first station crew is aboard the new spacecraft.

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