European lab spacewalk delayed for a day

HOUSTON (Reuters) - U.S. space shuttle Atlantis arrived at the International Space Station on Saturday, but the installation of its primary cargo, a European science laboratory, will be delayed for a day due to an astronaut health problem, NASA said.

Space agency officials would not disclose who was ill or what the problem was, but said German astronaut Hans Schlegel, 56, would not take part as planned in the spacewalk to attach the lab to the station.

He will be replaced by fellow Atlantis crewmember Stan Love, said mission management team leader John Shannon.

The installation of the $1.9 billion Columbus lab, Europe's main contribution to the $100 billion space station, will take place on Monday instead of on Sunday, Shannon said in a briefing at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA rules prevent much disclosure about astronaut health problems, but Shannon said the illness "is not life-threatening."

Schlegel flew on a shuttle in 1993 and was scheduled to take part in two of the three spacewalks planned for this mission. His status for the rest of the flight was unclear.

News of the delay followed Atlantis' docking with the station 200 miles above Earth on Saturday, ending a two-day orbital journey that began on Thursday with launch from Florida.

After docking, the shuttle crew floated into the station to warm greetings from station commander Peggy Whitson and her two crewmates.

NASA said the link-up went smoothly but it was studying a small tear in a thermal blanket on the shuttle that may have occurred during take-off.

"We're investigating whether it will present an issue for re-entry (into the atmosphere)," flight director Mike Sarafin said in a briefing. "It's probably not that big of an issue but we're off looking at it."

A similar tear occurred on a shuttle flight in June, and NASA sent out a spacewalking astronaut to repair it with medical staples. The blanket, located near a maneuvering engine, is part of the shuttle heat shield system.

NASA has included in-flight heat shield inspections since the 2003 Columbia accident, when fuel tank insulation that fell during launch put a hole in the shuttle's wing heat shield.

Columbia disintegrated when it re-entered Earth's atmosphere for landing, killing all seven astronauts aboard.

NASA has 11 construction and resupply missions remaining to complete the station before the fleet is retired in 2010. It also plans a servicing call to the Hubble Space Telescope in late August or September.

(Editing by Jeff Franks and Xavier Briand)