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Atlantis on the launch pad as work continues on Hubble mission
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Rolling along at a turtle's pace, Space Shuttle Atlantis made the six-hour trek from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to its seaside launch pad at Kennedy Space Center today. The 3.4 mile trip began before dawn, with the orbiter perched on top of the Apollo-era workhorse, the massive Mobile Launcher Platform.
Atlantis and the STS-125 crew are scheduled to launch May 12 on the final servicing mission for the Hubble Space Telescope. The mission was originally scheduled for last fall, but was delayed by problems with Hubble equipment. Before being rolled back from the pad, Atlantis also suffered a ding on its external tankwhen a stainless steel rod slammed into it.
Here's the NASA background on the mission:
Veteran astronaut Scott Altman will command the final space shuttle mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, and retired Navy Capt. Gregory C. Johnson will serve as pilot. Mission specialists rounding out the crew are: veteran spacewalkers John Grunsfeld and Mike Massimino, and first-time space fliers Andrew Feustel, Michael Good and Megan McArthur.
During the 11-day mission's five spacewalks, astronauts will install two new instruments, repair two inactive ones and perform the component replacements that will keep the telescope functioning into at least 2014.
In addition to the originally scheduled work, Atlantis also will carry a replacement Science Instrument Command and Data Handling Unit for Hubble. Astronauts will install the unit on the telescope, removing the one that stopped working on Sept. 27, 2008, delaying the servicing mission until the replacement was ready.
Image credit/NASA
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