Atlantis Crew Chases International Space Station

Crew inspects Atlantis, chases after international space station

HOUSTON (AP) - Atlantis' crew is inspecting the shuttle to see
if yesterday's launch left a mark on the ship's wings or nose.
There's no evidence debris hit Atlantis, but astronauts are
combing the exterior with a laser-tipped inspection pole to make
sure.
The images they gather will be beamed to Earth and thoroughly
analyzed over the next few days. The inspection has been standard
procedure since a hole in the wing brought down Columbia in 2003.
Today, Atlantis is chasing the orbiting international space
station, carrying Europe's 2-billion-dollar Columbus lab. On Sunday
the crew is expected to begin installing the lab, a project more
than 23 years in the making.
Despite being two months late, yesterday's liftoff keeps NASA on
track for six shuttle flights this year.