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When space shuttle Atlantis lifts off from Cape Canaveral Dec. 6, a Ramblin' Wreck will be at the wheel.
Navy Cmdr. Alan Poindexter, AE 86, is scheduled to pilot STS-122, a 13-day mission to deliver a European Space Agency research module and a French astronaut to the International Space Station orbiting 200 miles above Earth. But first he's got to catch it and that involves a 17,500-mph, two-day chase across the heavens.
After the vehicles rendezvous, Poindexter must maneuver Atlantis to a spot about 600 feet below the station, make a 360-degree backflip and slowly inch toward the station's docking module.
Using Atlantis' robotic arm, the crew will extract the module, nicknamed Columbus, from the cargo bay and attach it to the station's exterior. Four spacewalks are planned to finish the installation and power it.
Researchers hope to use Columbus in the weightless environment to conduct life sciences, materials science and fluid physics experiments and study the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body.
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