Shuttle Endeavour Moves Closer to March Launch
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The space shuttle Endeavour rolls over to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Feb. 11, 2008 for a planned March 11 launch. CREDIT: NASA/Jim Grossman. |
The orbiter Endeavour is in
the Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building after a move this morning
from its shuttle processing hangar.
Mounted atop a 76-wheel transporter, the $1.8 billion spaceship was backed out
of Bay No. 2 of the Orbiter Processing Facility at 7:36 a.m. About 100 workers
escorted the orbiter as it was wheeled into the 52-story
assembly building. The quarter-mile move took about 20 minutes to complete.
The orbiter will be hoisted about a mobile launcher platform and then connected
to an external tank with attached solid rocket boosters. The fully assembled
shuttle is scheduled to roll out to launch pad 39A a week from today.
Endeavour and seven astronauts are scheduled to launch March 11 on a mission to
delivery a two-armed
Canadian robot and the first section of the Japanese
Kibo science research facility to the International Space Station.
NASA is
broadcasting Atlantis' STS-122 mission live on NASA TV. Click here for SPACE.com's
shuttle mission coverage and NASA TV feed.
- NEW IMAGES: STS-122 Launch Day for Shuttle Atlantis
- VIDEO: ESA's New Science Laboratory
- Complete Space Shuttle Mission Coverage
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