STS-125 Mission Update – May 8, 2009

STS-125 Launch Countdown Begins Today

At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the pace of prelaunch activities picks up with only three days remaining until liftoff of space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-125 mission to service NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

A countdown status briefing at 10 a.m. EDT will feature Jeremy Graeber, NASA test director; Debbie Hahn, STS-125 payload manager; and Kathy Winters, shuttle weather officer. The event will be carried live on NASA TV.

At 3:30 p.m., launch personnel will take their seats inside Firing Room 4 of Kennedy’s Launch Control Center. The countdown will begin at 4 p.m., ticking backward from the T-43-hour mark. Atlantis’ seven astronauts are due to arrive at the Shuttle Landing Facility at 5 p.m.

The launch weather forecast is promising, with an 80 percent chance of favorable conditions at launch time. Liftoff remains on schedule for May 11 at 2:01 p.m.