U.S. Astronauts arrive at Kennedy Space Center for Monday’s Atlantis launch
Florida – Space shuttle Atlantis’ six astronauts are expected to arrive at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida today for their prelaunch activities. Arrival in a Shuttle Training Aircraft is scheduled for about 12 p.m. EST and will be carried live on NASA TV and also can be found online.
The crew is scheduled to make a brief statement to media who are gathered at Kennedy’s Shuttle Landing Facility to cover the arrival before departing to their quarters in the Operations and Checkout Building.
Technicians on Launch Pad 39A completed pressurizing tanks inside Atlantis’ engine and steering jet systems, which are the main propulsion system and orbital maneuvering system, and the reaction control system early this morning.
Countdown officially begins tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. for Monday’s 2:28 p.m. launch.
Commander Charlie Hobaugh will lead the STS-129 mission to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Atlantis. Barry Wilmore will serve as the pilot. Mission Specialists are Robert Satcher, Michael Foreman, Randy Bresnik and Leland Melvin. Wilmore, Satcher and Bresnik will be making their first trips to space.
The mission will return station crew member Nicole Stott to Earth. STS-129 is slated to be the final space shuttle crew rotation flight to or from the space station.
STS-129 is the 31st shuttle mission to the station.
The liftoff date still depends on the successful launch on November 14 of the experimental Atlas V rocket from nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. If the Atlas launch is delayed to November 15, the shuttle’s liftoff “will move to no earlier than 2:02 pm on Nov. 17,” NASA said in a statement.
Atlantis will deliver parts to the space station, including a spare gyroscope. In addition, once it gets underway, the mission is set to include three spacewalks aimed at storing space hardware on the exterior of the orbiting outpost.
The 11-day space outing will be the fifth and last shuttle mission for 2009. There are just five more shuttle launches scheduled before the planned September 2010 retirement of the fleet.
France24.com reports that the White House “could decide to extend the program through 2011 to reduce U.S. reliance on Russia’s Soyuz craft for astronaut transport to the ISS while the Orion capsules are being built.”
To learn more, visit the International Space Station web site.
(Pictured in the front row are Commander Charlie Hobaugh (left) and Pilot Barry Wilmore. On the back row (from left) are astronauts Leland Melvin, Mike Foreman, Robert Satcher and Randy Bresnik, all mission specialists. Image credit: NASA.)
definitely bookmarked