Shuttle Endeavour’s Final Rollout Delayed, Crew Q&A Cancelled

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Space shuttle Endeavour’s move to its launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida has been postponed at least 24 hours because of potential lightning and storms in the area. As a result, Wednesday night’s question-and-answer session with the next shuttle crew has been cancelled.

Managers will meet Thursday morning to assess weather conditions and determine if Endeavour will move out of the Vehicle Assembly Building at 8 p.m. EST on Thursday, March 10. NASA Television plans to provide live coverage of the rollout’s beginning.

There will be an 8 p.m. photo opportunity of the rollout to Launch Pad 39A. Interviews with Endeavour Flow Director Dana Hutcherson will begin at 8:30 p.m., but will not be shown on NASA TV. NASA also will provide a sunrise photo opportunity at the launch pad following Endeavour’s early morning arrival.

STS-133 mission badges are valid for all rollout activities and the media event on Thursday, March 10, to highlight Endeavour’s cargo. During the 1 p.m. event at Kennedy’s Space Station Processing Facility, reporters will have the opportunity to speak with managers and team members involved in processing the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a particle physics detector designed to increase our understanding of the universe.

Reporters who applied for the STS-134 rollout events may begin picking up their badges starting at 6 a.m. on March 10 at the Kennedy Space Center Badging Office on State Road 405. Updates for events are available at 321-867-2525.

Endeavour’s six astronauts are targeted to launch aboard the shuttle on April 19. The STS-134 mission to the International Space Station is the final scheduled flight for Endeavour before it is retired.

NASA TV’s Video File will broadcast highlights of the rollout. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about the STS-134 mission and crew, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html