WASHINGTON, June 16 (Xinhua) -- NASA's Mission Control Center told the Atlantis crew Saturday that space shuttle's thermal protection system is cleared for re-entry.

The astronauts got "the good news" about 11:20 a.m. EDT (1520 GMT) while they were transferring cargo between Atlantis and the International Space Station, according to the NASA's mission updates.

The heat shield was cleared after Mission Specialist John Olivas repaired a protruding thermal blanket on one of Atlantis' orbital maneuvering system pods during Friday's spacewalk.

In addition to cargo transfers, Saturday's schedule includes spacewalk preparations and a news conference. The crews will get ready for Atlantis' fourth spacewalk by preparing tools and spacesuits that will be used by two spacewalkers. The excursion is set to begin at 12:53 p.m. EDT (1653 GMT) on Sunday.

Atlantis is scheduled to leave the station on Tuesday and land Thursday, according to Mission Control Center.