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First Landing Opportunity: Wed., Feb. 20, 9:07 a.m EST Kennedy Space Center The crew members of space shuttle Atlantis spent Tuesday getting ready for their return home and the end of the STS-122 mission. The STS-122 astronauts set up the recumbent seat for Mission Specialist Daniel Tani, who joined the crew of Atlantis on the International Space Station. The recumbent seat is a special seat designed to reduce the stress of gravity on those who have spent long periods of time in the weightless environment of space. Tani served as Expedition 16 flight engineer for almost four months. He was...

MMT decide to try for a Sunday launch attempt for STS-122 The Mission Management Team (MMT) have concluded their meeting on flight rationale for proceeding with the launch of Shuttle Atlantis on STS-122, deciding to make a launch attempt on Sunday at 3:21pm Eastern, in a one minute launch window. The main reason for waiting an extra day would be to finalize Flight Controller procedures for watching the tank closely during ascent, in the event of ECO (Engine Cut Off) sensors were deemed unreliable. The launch could be delayed longer if those procedures are not finalized.