By TonyF on 18 September 2008 at 6:26AM
UPDATE: Rollout started early - Check video feed here.
Shuttle Endeavour will be rolling out to the launchpad Thursday night/Friday morning. When Endeavour makes it to Pad 39B (joining Atlantis on Pad 39A), it will mark the first time in 7 years that two orbiters have been on the pads at the same time. NASA reports:
Sept. 18, 2008
Early Thursday morning, thunderstorms in the area of Kennedy Space Center in Florida delayed the scheduled rollout of space shuttle Endeavour by 24 hours. The move from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B is now set for 12:01 a.m. Friday. Just a short distance away on pad 39A, technicians continue to prepare space shuttle Atlantis for its targeted Oct. 10 launch on mission STS-125 to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Endeavour will be on standby in the unlikely event that a rescue mission for the Atlantis's crew would be necessary. After Endeavour is cleared from its duty as a rescue vehicle, workers will move it to pad 39A in preparation for liftoff on mission STS-126 to the International Space Station in November.
Contamination discovered Wednesday during preparations to deliver NASA's Hubble Space Telescope servicing payload to Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A has been removed. Cleanliness is extremely important for space shuttle Atlantis’ STS-125 mission to Hubble, and the teams have insured that the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier is ready to fly.
The Hubble payload will be moved to the pad Saturday at 6 p.m. EDT. It is too early to speculate whether there will be any effect on STS-125's launch, targeted for Oct. 10 at 12:43 a.m. The formal launch dates for space shuttle flights are determined during the Flight Readiness Review. The STS-125 review is scheduled for Oct. 2 and 3.
Image above: In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the movement of an IMAX 3D camera. The camera is part of the payload Atlantis will carry on STS-125 so that crew members can record their mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Image credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
› View larger image
The Atlantis astronauts still are set to travel to Kennedy from their home base at Johnson Space Center in Houston for the STS-125 Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test next week. The week's activities are pending the crew's and support personnel's ability to participate as the Houston area continues to recover from the effects of Hurricane Ike. The crew is set to arrive in Florida on Sept. 21, with the training and countdown rehearsal running from Sept. 22 through 24. Johnson Space Center will remain closed until Monday, Sept. 22, as recovery from the hurricane continues.
Preflight pics are up at the JSC Gallery. More preflight pics and video at KSC. Discussion here. Check the links at right for play-by-play and NASA TV.
Recent Comments