Sunita wraps up her space trip

New Delhi: Indian American astronaut Sunita Williams wrapped up her six-month long tour of duty as a station crew member by switching places with mission specialist Clayton Anderson amidst greetings, hugs and handshakes with the 11-member shuttle Atlantis crew, who arrived at the orbiting outpost.

Sunita will now start packing her bag to return home on June 19 after her longest and wonderful sojourn in space.

She is looking forward and longing to meet her family, especially her parents, Deepak and Bonnie Pandya, her husband Michael Williams and above all her special dog, Gorby.

However, amid the smiles and salutations, questions remained unanswered about a section of peeled-back thermal blanket on the shuttle.

Engineers continued to review photographs of the affected area to determine whether it could pose a problem when Atlantis returns to Earth.

NASA is taking no chances after the Colombia disaster in February 2003, when Indian-born astronaut Kalpana Chawla and six other crewmembers perished mid-air.

The shuttle disintegrated on re-entry to earth when a protective foam tile shook loose and a hole burned into the shuttle's body.

NASA engineers are focusing their attention on a gap about 4 inches by 6 inches that was discovered after Friday's launch from Kennedy Space Center.

Engineers were not sure whether stitching on the blanket came loose or whether the blanket, covering a pod of engines near the shuttle's tail, was hit by

debris during launch.

Prior to Atlantis' arrival, the astronaut Danny Olivas took additional photographs from inside the shuttle of the area where the thermal blanket had peeled back.

Nasa engineers are focusing on a gap about 4 inches by 6 inches that was discovered after Friday's launch from Kennedy Space Center. Engineers were not sure whether stitching on the blanket came loose or whether the blanket,

covering a pod of engines near the shuttle's tail, was hit by debris during launch.

The rest of the vehicle appeared to be in fine shape, Nasa said. Sensors reported six hits on the wing during launch, but engineers were not concerned.

After the Columbia disaster, a shuttle repair kit was included in all shuttle

missions.

Meanwhile, after a busy Sunday at the International Space Station, attention has turned to the mission's first spacewalk.

The excursion, which will focus on the on-orbit assembly of the station, is slated to begin at 1:53 pm (EDT) on Monday.