3 a.m. CDT, Thursday, Sept. 14
Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

With several busy days including two successful spacewalks behind them, the Atlantis and International Space Station crews were looking forward to deployment of new station solar arrays and preparing for the mission's third spacewalk.

The ground teams completed the checkout of the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) early Thursday. The task had been interrupted Wednesday by a software glitch. Engineering teams developed a workaround, and flight controllers are working toward deployment of the 240-feet solar wings brought up with the P3/P4 truss.

The issue did cause replanning of the crews' schedule. As a result, crew activities today are subject to change.

Atlantis crewmembers were awakened at 11:15 p.m. CDT Wednesday by "Wipe Out," performed by the Surfaris. It was played for Pilot Chris Ferguson.

Thursday's agenda for Atlantis crewmembers, Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Ferguson and Mission Specialists Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, Joe Tanner, Dan Burbank and Steve MacLean, include executing a "double walk" off of the station's Canadarm 2 from the Mobile Base System to the Destiny Lab.

MacLean is scheduled to talk with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at 10:25 a.m. Also, Jett, station Expedition 13 Commander Pavel Vinogradov and E13 European Space Agency Astronaut Thomas Reiter were scheduled to talk with National Public Radio and CNN at 10:50 a.m.

While Ferguson does shuttle operations tasks, the rest of the crews, including station NASA Science Officer Jeff Williams, will review procedures for Friday's spacewalk, the third and final planned excursion outside during the STS-115 mission. Tanner and Piper will work on station truss segments to release the photovoltaic radiator restraints, deploy SARJ braces and install an external wireless TV transmission antenna.

The next STS-115 mission status report will be issued Thursday afternoon, or earlier if events warrant.

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