After months of delay due to a damaging hail storm, and repairs to the External Fuel Tank, Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off from Launch Pad 39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The time was 18:38 CDT, 8 June 2007 (01:38, 9 June GMT). After some nine minutes of powered flight, the main engines were shut down, the External Tank jettisonned, and Atlantis was in orbit, marking the beginning of Mission STS-117.

The now customary heat shield inspection took place on the first full day in space. The nose cap, wing leading edges, and belly tiles revealed no damage at all. However, a thermal protection blanket on the left (Port) OMS nacelle proved to have peeled up a little (Reference Photo 1). Although not rated as critical, engineers decided that it would be repaired later in the mission.

After an almost two day chase, Commander Rick Sturckow, and Pilot Lee Archambault, flew Atlantis to a perfect docking to ISSy at 14:36 CDT on 10 June 2007 (19:36 GMT). Her crew was greeted warmly by the ISS Expedition 15 crew, consisiting of Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin, Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov, and Flight Engineer Sunita Williams. Williams, by the end of her increment aboard the station, held the female records for most time on orbit (194 days, 18 hours, 58 minutes), and most time on EVA (29 hours, 17 minutes).

The primary task of STS-117 was delivery and installation of the S3/S4 Truss Segment (pdf) and deployment of a new solar array. Also, the remaining solar array atop the S6 Truss, mounted on the Destiny Laboratory Module during STS-97, was to be retracted for later relocation (Reference Photo 2). Four EVAs (Extra-Vehicular Activity or spacewalk) were mounted from the Quest Joint Airlock Module for this purpose, and all were successful (Reference Photo 3). During the previously unscheduled fourth EVA, the thermal blanket on the left OMS nacelle was also repaired. Additionally, several other smaller tasks were completed. EVA #1 - 6 hrs. 12 mins., EVA #2 - 7 hrs. 16 mins., EVA #3 - 7 hrs. 58 mins., EVA #4 - 6 hrs. 29 mins. for a total of 27 hours 55 minutes. The EVAs were carried out by two alternating teams of Astronauts, consisting of Jim Reilly and Danny Olivas, as well as Patrick Forrester and Steve Swanson.

During this flight, Astronaut Sunita Williams, aboard since STS-116 visited in December 2006, was replaced as second Flight Engineer of the Expedition 15 crew by Astronaut Clayton Anderson. Anderson would remain aboard for his six month increment when Atlantis departed.

Over the night of 12 June (STS-117 Flight Day 5), ISSy suffered a major crash of ALL guidance and control computers on board. These included both Russian and American machines. Gound control teams, on both sides of the world, scrambled to understand what happened, and to rectify the situation before Atlantis was scheduled to undock. During the crisis, power to the Russian modules was severely curtailed. Atlantis supplemented power to the station from her onboard Fuel Cells. Many Shuttle systems were shut down, and docked operations were extended an extra day, in order to facilitate the operation. The problems were finally solved via a team effort by all concerned.

Following nine days of joint docked operations, the Atlantis crew returned to the Shuttle, and closed hatches. Astronaut Sunita Williams said goodbye to her Expedition 15 crewmates, and prepared to go home after six months aboard ISSy. Undocking took place at 9:42 CDT (14:42 GMT) on 19 June, with the usual post-undocking fly-around of the station.

A final inspection of the heat shield for possible micro-meteroid damage was conducted. Atlantis passed with flying colors. For the next three days, the Shuttle flew solo, with the crew taking a bit of rest before packing up for return to Earth as scheduled on 21 June.

Weather at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility was not acceptable, however, so Atlantis was waved off for 24 more hours. Weather was still outside limits on Friday 22 June, and Mission Controllers decided to bring Atlantis down at Edwards Air Force Base (NASA's Dryden Research Center) in the California desert. The spacecraft landed safely on Runway 22 at 14:50 CDT (19:50 GMT). Total flight duration was 13 days, 20 hours, 12 minutes. The mission was completely successful, meeting every goal, and then some.

Atlantis was returned to Kennedy Space Center in July 2007. The Shuttle rode "piggyback" on a modified Boeing 747 jet. (Reference Photo 4)

We highly recommend that you have a look at these pages in preparation for this one. What is presented on this page, simply put, is additional evidence for a deliberate NASA policy of corrupting their broadcasts of night television, from orbiting spcaecraft like ISSy, to the public. The recommended pages set the background.

STS-105 Snow Games

STS-110 Night Over California - NO SNOW!

ISS EVA 10a - Playing With The Night

ISS EVA 10b - Snow Games AGAIN!

So, now you should be able to see that NASA doesn't like to show us the night from space. This tendency has been building for years now. In the "olden" days of the mid to late 1990s, this snow was unknown. It began to show up in night downlink TV from space around the middle of the year 2000.

In this examination, we'll have a look at that "snow" that seems to permeate almost all of NASA's "live" downlink television pictures at night. They probably want you to believe that there is nothing anyone can do about it, that it's just one of the characteristics of TV from outer space.

Nothing could be further from the truth!

When they WANT to have a clear picture, they do. The "snow" is NOT routine, nor is it "Just part of the facts of life for TV from space". This writer is of the opinion that the "snow" is added to the signal, AFTER it comes down from space, but BEFORE the signal reaches the public. I am of the opinion that its purpose is to obscure fine detail in night views. This sort of thing would go a long way toward keeping members of the public at large from noticing anomalous activity. These can be especially subtle as well, so the masking simply increases the likelyhood that they will be missed.

I'd also like to point out that this "snow" is NEVER present during live downlink TV from INSIDE the Shuttles or Space Station.

It's also USUALLY missing from daytime downlink broadcasts. It's almost always only in the views from outside...at night.

Something else to consider. TV from space is not special. In fact, it's about as common in the world as sunshine. Nearly ALL of the television programming you see in your home, from the nightly news to Saturday morning cartoons, comes from space! That's right, nearly all of it. And not just for those who use dish TV services, but also cable subscribers. Those who still use antennas are getting a significant portion of their programming from outer space, because all of these local TV broadcasters receive and rebroadcast programs from communication satellites. EVEN so-called "Third World" nations are using satellites for their television broadcasts these days.

These satellites form a Saturn like ring around the Earth's equator, and are in geosynchronous orbit, 22,500 miles (36,000 km) above our heads. That's roughly 10 TIMES the altitude of ISSy and the Shuttles on orbit, ONE WAY! The round trip distance for the signals is 45,000 miles! (72,000 km) That's about one fifth the distance to the Moon.

Have you routinely noticed this sort of "snow" (which permeates NASA broadcasts from night time downlink) in your favorite shows? ...neither have I.

NASA downlink TV is USUALLY sent up from manned spacecraft to a TDRS satellite. It is then relayed back down to White Sands New Mexico. At The White Sands Facility, there are two sides. One military, and the other NASA's. Sources tell me that the military reviews the signal first, and sends it over to the NASA side. From there it is sent to the Johnson Space Center , Building #8, in Houston Texas. It is only THEN that the signal is routed to the INCO/CATO desk in Mission Control. Here the officer in charge decides what is finally sent (VIA Satellite AGAIN!) out to the public on NASA Select TV. Heh Heh, there's a REASON they call it NASA SELECT TV!

The TDRS satellites reside in the same orbits, and at the same distances, as the commercial satellites. So why is it that commercial television, taking the same 45,000 mile (72,000 km) route up to space, and back to Earth, never seems to have a mask of obscuring snow? Why is it that NASA TV, at night, almost always does? The signals are routed the same way, using nearly identical technology.

The "snow" mask in NASA TV at night looks less and less justified, doesn't it?

Now, let's have a look at what happened with NASA's snowy mask that day, shall we?

This single frame was taken from the end of the video sequence including the application of the snowy mask at sunset.

The location is almost directly over Japan, as indicated by the YELLOW circle.

There can now be zero doubt that NASA are adding the "snow mask" to their "live" TV from space. And there can be no reason for doing this other than to hide something. One has to wonder, WHAT would NASA have to hide from the public, who pay all their bills for them. Please think about that...

More On "Snow Games" Here

STS-104 Ridiculous "Snow" Games

STS-105 Snow Games

STS-110 Night Over California - NO SNOW!

ISS EVA 10a - Playing With The Night

ISS EVA 10b - Snow Games AGAIN!

ISS EVA 12a Snow Games Yet Again

ISS EVA 17 "Snow Games" Proven!

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At all times during this incident, the camera was under the control of the INCO in Houston Mission Control.

(INCO - INstrument & Communication Officer - The man in Houston Mission Control Center who is responsible for operating the Shuttle payload bay, and robotic arm, cameras. He also remotely operates the helmet cameras in space suits. In the case of ISS, this officer is referred to as the CATO - Communications And Tracking Officer. In both cases, these persons CONTROL everything which is PERMITTED to go out on broadcast to the public. It is a commonly believed falacy that the cameras are operated by Astronauts & Cosmonauts on the Shuttles, and Space Station. Very little camera work is done by the crews. They're way too busy for that.)

At the end of the day, it's up to YOU to draw your own conclusions.

© 2007 Jeff Challender