Space shuttle Atlantis descended to a smooth landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., concluding a successful assembly mission to the International Space Station. With Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Lee Archambault at the controls, Atlantis landed at 3:49 p.m. EDT.

The STS-117 crew began its mission June 8 and arrived at the station June 10. They quickly began work to install the Starboard 3 and 4 (S3/S4) truss structure to the outpost and retracted a set of arrays on the Port 6 (P6) truss. The (S3/S4) contains a new set of solar arrays that increases station power-generation capabilities. The P6 will be relocated during a future assembly mission.

Hello and congratulations what a great and informative website.

I will like to know what are some good suggestions for antenna and radios to try to contact the ISS either voice or packet.

73

Juan
TG9AJR

ARRL Field Day Coordinator Dan Henderson, N1ND, reports that he was contacted several weeks ago NASA regarding the International Space Station's participation during Field Day this year. "As in past years, there is the usual 'soft' plan for at least one of the stations on the ISS being activated for a time during Field Day. As always, this is dependent on the astronauts' work schedule, and always subject to last minute change," Henderson said. For each of the past five or six years, at least one of the residents of the ISS has made an appearance during Field Day. Stations should check the ISS passes -- "No guarantees," Henderson said. "But if it happens, it sure builds the excitement at a Field Day site."

Latest updates on the STS-117 mission are available here: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html