NASA’s Space Shuttle Atlantis To Move To Launch Pad Saturday
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, Aug. 30. Atlantis is targeted to lift off Oct. 8 to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
The first motion of the shuttle out of Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building is scheduled for 12:01 a.m. EDT. The fully assembled space shuttle, consisting of the orbiter, external tank and twin solid rocket boosters, was mounted on a mobile launcher platform and will be delivered to the pad atop a crawler-transporter. The crawler will travel slower than 1 mph during the 3.4-mile journey. The process is expected to take approximately six hours.
Repairs to Launch Pad 39A’s flame trench wall were completed Aug. 5 after crews installed a steel grid structure and covered it in a heat-resistant material. The pad’s north flame trench was damaged when bricks tore away from the wall during the May 31 launch of space shuttle Discovery.
NASA Television will provide live coverage of Atlantis’ move to the launch pad beginning at 6:30 a.m. Video highlights of the rollout will air on NASA TV Video File.
Media are invited to a photo opportunity of roll out and an interview availability with Atlantis Flow Director Angie Brewer at 8 a.m. Saturday. Dates and times of this event are subject to change. Updates are available by calling 321-867-2525.
Reporters must arrive at Kennedy’s news center by 6 a.m. Saturday for transportation to the viewing area. Foreign news media accreditation for this event has closed. Foreign media with credentials must arrive at the Pass and I-D Building on State Road 3 by 6 a.m. for transportation to the news center. U.S. media without permanent Kennedy Space Center credentials must apply for accreditation online by 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27, at:
Badges must be picked up by 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29, at the new Kennedy Badging Office on State Road 405, west of Gate 3 (just past the Kennedy Visitor’s Complex).
During its 11-day mission that includes five spacewalks, the STS-125’s crew of seven astronauts will install two new instruments in Hubble, as well as replace the Fine Guidance Sensor. The result will be six working, complementary science instruments with capabilities beyond those now available, and an extended operational lifespan of the telescope through at least 2013.
Atlantis will be commanded by Scott Altman. Gregory C. Johnson will be pilot. Mission Specialists will be John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino, Megan McArthur, Andrew Feustel and Michael Good.
For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:
For more information about the STS-125 mission and crew, visit:
