Atlantis Rollout Postponed Until Wednesday

SHUTTLE NEWS

In the Vehicle Assembly Building, shuttle Atlantis, which has been bolted to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters, continues to await rollout to the launch pad. Image credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

by Staff Writers
Kennedy Space Center FL (SPX) Aug 02, 2006
NASA has delayed the rollout of space shuttle Atlantis to Launch Pad 39B until Wednesday due to poor weather conditions at Cape Canaveral.

The rollout has been scheduled for 2 a.m. Eastern Time, and the launch window for the next shuttle mission, designated as STS-115, begins on Aug. 27. Atlantis, now fully assembled, will be moved via the huge crawler transporter and delivered to the pad in a process that takes about six hours.

The Atlantis crew is due to spend 11 days in space installing the integrated P3/P4 truss segment on the International Space Station, which along with its two large solar arrays will provide one-fourth of the total power generation capability of the facility when it is completed.

Meanwhile, the astronauts and ground crews for STS-115 will participate in a full launch dress rehearsal next week. The rehearsal is designed to provide the crew with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency egress training.

The STS-115 mission launch window will run through Sept. 7. After that, a launch would conflict with a Soyuz mission scheduled to fly to the ISS in mid-September.

The STS-115 crew consists of commander Brent W. Jett Jr., pilot Christopher J. Ferguson, mission specialists Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper, Joseph R. Tanner, Daniel C. Burbank and Steven G. MacLean, who represents the Canadian Space Agency.

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