Rotating Service Structure Move Begins

Workers at Launch Pad 39A began moving the Rotating Service Structure away from space shuttle Atlantis at 2:38 p.m. EDT.

Teams will continue to monitor weather and will conduct a walk down of the pad following a lightning strike within one third of a mile from the pad. Walk downs will occur through the evening.

At this morning’s briefing, Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters reported that the launch weather forecast remains unchanged, with a 30 percent chance of favorable weather for the 11:26 a.m. EDT liftoff. The forecast is a more favorable 80 percent when the filling of the huge external fuel tank is set to begin.

At 5 a.m. this morning, the countdown entered a planned hold at the T-11 hour mark, and will resume at 7:01 p.m. tonight.

The astronauts had an early wakeup call as they continue to prepare for tomorrow’s launch of Atlantis on the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station.