Space shuttle delivers
The week's news at a glance.
Houston, Texas
After months of delays due to weather and equipment woes, the space shuttle Atlantis blasted off safely last week and docked with the international space station orbiting 220 miles above Earth. The crew then unloaded their main cargo, a 17-ton addition to the space station, fitted with two panels to collect solar energy. During a six-hour space walk, astronauts Joe Tanner and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper connected the new section’s power and data cables to the space station. The hookup was successful, but the astronauts lost a bolt, washer, and spring while they worked, and NASA expressed concern that the debris could tear holes in the spacecraft or in the astronauts’ protective suits. Two more space walks are planned during the 11-day flight. The space lab’s construction had been on hold since the Columbia disaster more than three years ago.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Home Depots are the new epicenters of ICE raids
In the Spotlight The chain has not provided many comments on the ongoing raids
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?
Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
The pros and cons of banning cellphones in classrooms
Pros and cons The devices could be major distractions