Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas

A spacewalk to install and activate a new set of solar array wings highlights the first full day of docked operations of space shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station.

Most of the crewmembers got an 8:08 a.m. CDT wakeup call with the song "It Probably Always Will" by the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, played for Mission Specialist Steven Swanson. Spacewalkers Jim Reilly and John "Danny" Olivas, who spent the night in the Quest airlock under reduced atmospheric pressure to facilitate the purge of nitrogen from their bloodstreams, were allowed to sleep in until 8:38 a.m.

Starting shortly after 10 a.m. Pilot Lee Achambault, Mission Specialist Patrick Forrester and Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov will use the station's Canadarm2 to maneuver the S3/S4 Truss to the outboard end of the S1 Truss and into position so that four bolts can be driven to form a hard mate between the two components.

Activation of the new truss segments will be done during the spacewalk starting at 1:53 p.m., when Reilly, designated EV1 and wearing the suit with red stripes, and Olivas, EV2 and wearing a suit with no stripes, emerge from the Quest airlock.

Over the course of the next 6 1/2 hours they will connect power, data and cooling cables between S1 and S3; release the launch restraints from and deploy the four solar array blanket boxes on S4 and release the cinches and winches holding the photovoltaic radiator on S4. They also will rotate the keel pin on S3; rigidize four Alpha Joint Interface Structure struts and install one Drive Lock Assembly on the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint; and remove some of the SARJ launch locks and restraints.

In parallel to those activities the ISS Flight Control Team in Mission Control Houston will begin the commanding to activate the two new power channels and to deploy the new truss' radiator. The spacewalk is scheduled to conclude at 8:23 p.m. CDT.

While the spacewalk proceeds the newest member of the ISS crew will be learning about his new home on orbit. Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson is scheduled for handover briefings with his predecessor, astronaut Suni Williams, and has unstructured time to facilitate his adaptation to his new surroundings.

The next STS-117 status report will be issued Monday evening after the spacewalk, or earlier if events warrant.

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