Houston, Texas Shuttle Atlantis pursued the international space station in orbit Friday as its crew disposed for an optical maser inspection of their ship’s wing.

After two calendar months of technical delays, the bird was scheduled to arrive at the place Saturday with a peculiar delivery: Europe’s USD 2 000 000 000 Columbus laboratory.

But first the gang of seven cosmonauts had to find whether the bird was discredited by at least three pieces of froth or early debris that came up off the fuel tank two transactions after Thursday’s liftoff.

There was no evidence that the dust hit Atlantis. But the cosmonauts planned to pass much of Friday victimization a laser-tipped review pole to study the ship’s vulnerable wings and nose. Watch Atlantis’ rumbly climb to space “

The review has existed standard process ever since a golf hole in the backstage brought down Columbia in 2003, the outcome of a work stoppage by a slab of fuel-tank foam.

The cosmonauts awoke Friday to “Book of Love” by Peter Gabriel, a commitment to French Air Force Gen. Leopold Eyharts from his married woman and household.

Eyharts recognized his loved ones in English and French, locution, “I know it has existed a someway hard twenty for them and I want to give thanks them.”

Eyharts will move into the infinite station for a little more than a calendar month, replacing NASA spaceman Daniel Tani. He plans to assist continue scene up and tripping the Columbus mental faculty, Europe’s primary part to the infinite station.

Twenty-three old age in the fashioning, Columbus has put up space station redesignss and retardations, as well as a figure of bird postponements and two shuttle strokes. Atlantis was alleged to present Columbus in December, but fuel gauge trouble foreclosed the launching.

Station commandant Peggy Whitson expressed Columbus’ reaching will be a great present as she observes her 48th natal day on Saturday.

“I’m truly looking forward to it,” Whitson stated CBS’ “The Early Show.”

Atlantis’ commanding officer, Stephen Frick and his crew will begin installation Columbus on Sunday. Three spacewalkss are aforethought during the flying, scheduled to endure 11 or, more likely, 12 years.

Columbus will join the U.S. science lab, Destiny, that was set up aboard Atlantis just seven old age ago. The Japanese science lab Kibo, or Hope, is so big it will take three shuttle trips to acquire everything up, setting about in March.

Thursday’s launch unbroken NASA on track for six shuttle flights this twelvemonth. The infinite agency faces a 2010 deadline for finish the place and unassuming the birds. That compares to four or five shuttle flights a twelvemonth between now and then, something NASA Administrator Michael Griffin reckons achievable.

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