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[[1 image: shuttle]]

The Flight:

Launch Day:  Atlantis will launch with the KidSat camera stored in one of the lockers on the shuttle middeck.  It will stay in the locker during the astronauts' first day in orbit.  The astronauts spend this day getting the shuttle safely into orbit, opening the shuttle's payload bay doors, changing from their launch pressure suits to more comfortable clothes, and generally setting up the space shuttle so that it can stay on orbit for several days.  The first day will be a relatively short day.  The astronauts will go to sleep about 5 hours after launch.

Before docking:  In the morning of their second day on orbit, the astronauts will take the camera out of storage, and mount it in the shuttle's overhead window.  The KidSat camera will be able to take pictures for about the next 20 hours.  Meanwhile, the shuttle will be chasing Mir, slowing catching up to it.  During this part of flight, the Shuttle is in the right orientation for KidSat (upside down, "-ZLV", so the camera will be pointed toward Earth).  The astronauts will take the camera down before the docking with Mir-they need to use that window to line up Atlantis for its final approach.

Docked phase:  The KidSat camera will not be mounted in the window while the Shuttle and Mir are docked to each other. There are two good reasons for this: (1) the window isn't pointing to Earth!, and (2) the astronauts will be using the window for other things.  Atlantis and Mir will remain docked together for five days.

After Separation:  Shortly after the Shuttle separates from Mir, the astronauts will mount the KidSat camera in the window again.  The camera will remain in the window, available for our use, for about the next 40 hours (until the morning of landing day). During most of this period, the shuttle will again be in the right orientation for KidSat.  For about the first half of that time, we will be able to send commands to the camera and receive images on the ground.  The the astronauts will turn off the Ku communications antenna (for reasons unrelated to KidSat:  the antenna is getting old, and NASA only wants to use it for a certain number of hours each flight).  Once the antenna is stowed, we can no longer send commands or receive images:  but we will send up about 20 hours worth of commands just before the antenna is turned off.  The camera should continue taking pictures; we just have to wait until after the shuttle lands to see them.

Landing day:  Soon after the astronauts wake up on the day they are scheduled to land, they will take the KidSat camera out of the window, and store it in the middeck locker in preparation for landing.  Atlantis is schedule to land at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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