Spaceflight

Space Shuttle Atlantis returned to Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on 15 May. It is scheduled to lift off on 8 June on its International Space Station mission STS-117.

The roll-out to the pad was the second time Atlantis headed for the launch complex in preparation for STS-117. A freak hail storm damaged the Shuttle's external tank (ET) as it stood on the launch pad in February. The shuttle returned to KSC's Vehicle Assembly Building for several weeks of repairs to the tank's damaged foam insulation. The crew of STS-117 will connect solar arrays to the ISS.