Spaceflight Now





BY JUSTIN RAY

Follow space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission to repair and enhance the Hubble Space Telescope with our live status center. Reload for the latest updates.

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Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE OF LAUNCH PAD GANTRY ROLLBACK PLAY
VIDEO: A TRIBUTE TO THE CAMERA THAT SAVED HUBBLE PLAY
VIDEO: HUBBLE TELESCOPE PROGRAM BRIEFING FROM SUNDAY PLAY
VIDEO: SUNDAY'S COUNTDOWN STATUS AND WEATHER UPDATE PLAY
VIDEO: THE STS-125 PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY
VIDEO: SATURDAY'S COUNTDOWN STATUS AND WEATHER UPDATE PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS ARRIVE AT THE CAPE FOR LAUNCH PLAY
VIDEO: FRIDAY'S COUNTDOWN STATUS AND WEATHER UPDATE PLAY
VIDEO: REFRESHER BRIEFING: THE STS-125 MISSION PLAY
VIDEO: REFRESHER BRIEFING: HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE PLAY
VIDEO: REFRESHER BRIEFING: THE SEVEN ASTRONAUTS PLAY
VIDEO: BIOGRAPHY MOVIE OF ATLANTIS' CREW PLAY
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SUNDAY, MAY 10, 2009
2300 GMT (7:00 p.m. EDT)
Miles O'Brien, CNN's former space reporter and anchor, returns to the Cape to lead Spaceflight Now's historic coverage of the final Space Shuttle to Hubble. Viewers can interact with our stellar guest line-up, from astronauts, scientists and astronomers, to former NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, and astronaut Scott Parazynski live from the Himalayas. Join us beginning at 8:30 a.m. EDT (1230 GMT) Monday.

Read our full story.

2225 GMT (6:25 p.m. EDT)
Mission Control has revised Monday's official launch window for space shuttle Atlantis' ascent to rendezvous with the Hubble Space Telescope.

The 62-minute window will open at exactly 1:41:56 p.m. EDT and close at 2:43:47 p.m. EDT.

NASA is targeting the actual liftoff of Atlantis for a point 20 minutes into the window. Based on the latest update from Houston, that precise moment of launch is scheduled for 2:01:56 p.m. EDT.

One further tweak to the window is possible during the countdown Monday, based on final C-band radar tracking of the telescope.

If Atlantis launches at 2:01 p.m. EDT as planned, Hubble will be flying almost directly over the Kennedy Space Center when the shuttle lifts off.

The window for the backup launch opportunity on Tuesday will open at 1:11:18 p.m. EDT and close at 2:13:12 p.m. EDT. The preferred liftoff time would be targeted for 1:31:18 p.m. EDT, as Hubble sails over the Central Pacific, east of New Guinea.

Wednesday's launch time is 1:00:38 p.m. EDT, when the telescope will be passing over the Southern Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar.

2211 GMT (6:11 p.m. EDT)
A time-lapse movie showing the gantry rolling away from space shuttle Atlantis is posted for Spaceflight Now+Plus users.

If you're not yet a subscriber, you can learn more here.

2145 GMT (5:45 p.m. EDT)
On this steamy late afternoon in Florida, the gantry-like rotating service structure at Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A has been retracted from Atlantis in preparation for Monday's liftoff on the Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission.

Currently, countdown clocks are stopped at the T-minus 11 hour mark for a planned built-in hold. The count is scheduled to resume ticking at 9:41 p.m. EDT. This evening's work includes activating the Atlantis' inertial measurement units and power-generating fuel cells, plus checking all of the switches in the cockpit to ensure they are in the correct positions for launch.

Final closeouts of the pad and clearing of the hazard area will be finished overnight. The count will proceed down to the T-minus 6 hour point where a two-hour hold begins at 2:41 a.m. During that pause, the launch team will verify all systems are ready to begin loading a half-million gallons of supercold rocket fuel in the shuttle's external tank.

The three-hour fueling process is scheduled to commence around 4:45 a.m. EDT, pending a final "go" from the Mission Management Team's predawn meeting to review the status of the count and the latest weather outlook.

A reminder that if you will be away from your computer but would like to receive countdown updates, sign up for our Twitter feed to get text messages on your cellphone. U.S. readers can also sign up from their phone by texting "follow spaceflightnow" to 40404. (Standard text messaging charges apply.)

2131 GMT (5:31 p.m. EDT)
The gantry is clear of the orbiter and continuing to swing toward its launch position.
2125 GMT (5:25 p.m. EDT)
Rollback of the rotating service structure from around space shuttle Atlantis has begun.

The gantry has provided the primary access and weather protection for the shuttle during its stay on the seaside complex. The structure's retraction will reveal the orbiter and accomplish a key milestone in the countdown.

2020 GMT (4:20 p.m. EDT)
In late April, astronaut Mike Massimino completed the final underwater simulation and described it as "an historic day," coming more than 25 years since the start of such space suited training sessions for Hubble mission crews. It was equally poignant for Spaceflight Now's Craig Covault, who had performed one of the first such Hubble tests.

Read our update story.

1940 GMT (3:40 p.m. EDT)
The shuttle Atlantis' countdown is proceeding smoothly toward launch Monday on an $887 million mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope, with forecasters now predicting a 90 percent chance of acceptable weather in Florida and only a slight chance of showers near an emergency runway in Spain.

Read our update story.

1900 GMT (3:00 p.m. EDT)
For the Hubble Space Telescope team, having waited years to see this servicing mission that will add two new science instruments to the observatory, the excitement is building for tomorrow's launch of Atlantis.

"Needless to say, we have been through a whole lot since 2002, ups and downs," said David Leckrone, project scientist for Hubble.

"Something that's been perpetually out of reach, to be within one day of it is remarkable and unbelievable and I have to persuade myself I'm not dreaming. But I walk outside and I see that beautiful bird on the pad and I see the gorgeous weather. We're going to get it off tomorrow and it's going to go splendidly, I just feel it."

1445 GMT (10:45 a.m. EDT)
The odds of acceptable weather at the Kennedy Space Center for shuttle Atlantis' launch Monday have increased to 90 percent, Air Force meteorologists said this morning, but there continues to be a chance of showers in Spain at the prime emergency abort landing site.

"Due to dry conditions expected during the launch window on Monday, the probability of KSC weather prohibiting launch was decreased to 10 percent," the latest forecast said. "Hot, dry conditions have persisted over Central Florida, but moisture is expected to gradually increase over the next several days. On launch day, the high pressure ridge will begin to gradually migrate south of Central Florida, and asea breeze will develop during the launch window. Cumulus clouds and showers may develop along the sea breeze, but this development will likely occur later in the day, after the launch window.

"Our primary concern for launch is cumulus clouds developing along the sea breeze."

The weather in Moron, Spain, at the emergency landing site still calls for a slight chance of showers on Monday that will be carefully monitored. Given Atlantis' due-east launch trajectory to reach the Hubble Space Telescope, Moron is the only available Trans-Atlantic Abort Landing Site.

The countdown remain on schedule toward a liftoff at 2:01 p.m. EDT Monday. Ground crews completed the fuel cell servicing work Saturday as planned, then performed the main engine avionics checkout procedure overnight and the pre-flight inspections of the external fuel tank this morning.

Pad workers today are retracting access platforms and buttoning up Atlantis in preparation for rolling back the mobile service gantry around 5 p.m. EDT. Other activities this afternoon include checking out the orbiter's communications network and loading the astronauts' stowage packages into the shuttle.

"In summary, not tracking any issues, the countdown work is on the timeline and we have no issues to report. Atlantis is ready to fly," Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, the NASA test director for Atlantis' countdown.

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2009
The Mission Management Team completed its readiness meeting this afternoon and gave approval to continue with preparations for Atlantis' launch to Hubble on Monday.

"It went really well, nice and smooth, no issues," MMT chairman Mike Moses told reporters at an evening news briefing from Kennedy Space Center. "So I was happy to get a unanimous 'go for launch' from my team today."

Out at launch pad 39A, the space shuttle is in good shape as the three-day countdown sequence rolls on.

"The countdown is going to extremely well. We're right on our timeline, we're in the middle of our cryogenic loading for the fuel cell system and no issues to report there," launch director Mike Leinbach said.

"The team is not tracking anything that would prevent an on-time launch Monday."

2020 GMT (4:20 p.m. EDT)
Space shuttle Atlantis' fuel cell tanks have received their supplies of liquid oxygen, a NASA spokeswoman says, and the launch team is preparing to start loading liquid hydrogen into the vehicle.
1508 GMT (11:08 a.m. EDT)
Reactants for space shuttle Atlantis' electricity-generating fuel cells will be loaded into storage spheres beneath payload bay this afternoon and evening as standard work continues at pad 39A for Monday's launch.

The liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen are combined to produce power and a byproduct of drinking water during the shuttle's mission. Workers will pump the cryogenics into small tanks aboard the orbiter during a multi-hour operation, then later demate the pad umbilical system used in the loading process and stowed the equipment for launch.

"Right now, the countdown is proceeding well," NASA test director Jeff Spaulding said at the morning status briefing, adding that no problems are being worked by the launch team.

The planned activities for overnight and into Sunday will include final tests of the three main engines, functional checks of the orbiter's star trackers, activating the inertial measurement units, thoroughly testing the communications network, loading the last items into the crew module, filling of the launch pad's sound suppression system water tank and installing film in pad cameras.

Countdown clocks will enter the lengthy T-minus 11 hour planned hold period at 8 a.m. EDT tomorrow. The built-in hold will last 13 hours and 14 minutes.

The giant gantry-like rotating service structure is scheduled for retraction from around Atlantis at 6 p.m. Sunday.

The weather forecast for Monday's planned 2:01 p.m. EDT launch continues to predict an 80 percent chance of acceptable conditions.

The outlook includes scattered low-level cumulus clouds and high cirrus at 25,000 feet, 7 miles of visibility, southeasterly winds from 120 degrees at 8 peaking to 13 knots and a temperature of 82 degrees F.

"The launch day forecast has not changed," Air Force meteorologists reported today. "An area of high pressure is east of Florida, and a high pressure ridge extends over Central Florida. Overall, dry conditions have persisted over Central Florida, but moisture is expected to gradually increase over the next several days. This additional moisture may allow more cumulus clouds and showers to develop along the sea breeze by Sunday and Monday.

"On launch day, the high pressure ridge will still be in place over or slightly south of Central Florida, and the sea breeze will develop during the launch window. Cumulus clouds and showers may develop along the sea breeze, but significant development will likely occur after the launch time. Our primary concern for launch is cumulus clouds developing along the sea breeze.

"Weather looks less favorable on Tuesday due to a front moving into the area causing a chance for thunderstorms. Wednesday, the front may linger in the area or just to the south, causing concerns for Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) crosswinds, a low cloud ceiling and showers."

For the overseas abort landing site in Moron, Spain, there's a slight chance of showers on Tuesday and Wednesday, but looks fine on Thursday. Moron must have acceptable weather in order for Atlantis to launch.

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2009
Read our full story on the start of Atlantis' countdown and arrival of the astronauts.
2114 GMT (5:14 p.m. EDT)
"Hello, Florida! It's great to be here at last," commander Scott Altman says. "It's been a long road to get here."
2110 GMT (5:10 p.m. EDT)
The five T-38 jets have rolled over to the tarmac where a crowd of reporters and photographers have gathered to document the crew's arrival.

The aircraft tailnumbers are:

  • NASA 961 - Altman, Grunsfeld
  • NASA 904 - Johnson, Good
  • NASA 912 - Massimino
  • NASA 906 - McArthur
  • NASA 919 - Feustel
2105 GMT (5:05 p.m. EDT)
After buzzing over the space shuttle launch pads in formation, the wave of T-38 jets carrying Atlantis' seven astronauts are landing at the Kennedy Space Center runway.
2005 GMT (4:05 p.m. EDT)
COUNT BEGINS. Inside Firing Room 4 of Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center, countdown clocks have started ticking toward the liftoff of space shuttle Atlantis.

Launch team members gathered for the "call to stations" at 3:30 p.m. EDT, and then the three-day countdown commenced at 4 p.m. as scheduled.

Clocks read T-minus 43 hours and counting. But a series of holds are timed throughout the next few days, leading to Monday's targeted liftoff time of 2:01 p.m. EDT.

The early portion of the count involves buttoning up launch pad equipment and removing platforms inside the shuttle's crew module, reviewing flight software stored in Atlantis' mass memory units, loading backup software into the general purpose computers and testing navigation systems.

Meanwhile, the seven space shuttle astronauts have departed Ellington Field near the Johnson Space Center in Houston for today's flight over to the Kennedy Space Center to begin final launch preparations. The crew is expected to arrive around 5 p.m. EDT at the Florida spaceport.

1515 GMT (11:15 a.m. EDT)
Engineers geared up Friday to start the shuttle Atlantis' countdown to blastoff Monday on a long-awaited mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. There are no technical problems of any significance at pad 39A and forecasters are predicting an 80 percent chance of good weather.

Read our full story.

THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2009

When the space shuttle Atlantis blasts off on NASA's final mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope, the shuttle Endeavour and a four-man crew will be standing by for launch on a mission space agency managers hope will never be needed: an emergency rescue flight to bring the Atlantis astronauts back to Earth if heat shield damage or some other problem prevents a safe re-entry.

Read our full story.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2009

NASA's fifth and final mission to service and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope will add one of the most dramatic chapters yet to an ongoing saga that reads like "The Perils of Pauline." Or an over-the-top Hollywood screenplay about a scientific superstar repeatedly rescued from the brink of disaster.

Read our mission preview report.

THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2009

With retirement of the space shuttle program expected next year after just nine more flights, NASA's managers Thursday announced the first major round of job losses, saying 160 contractor workers would face layoffs Friday, the first of up to 900 jobs that will be lost between now and the end of the fiscal year. The announcement came following an all-day meeting that approved plans to launch Atlantis on May 11.

Read our full story.

1935 GMT (3:35 p.m. EDT)

The poll of participants in the Flight Readiness Review has yielded the unanimous approval to proceed with liftoff on May 11, NASA says. Liftoff time will be targeted for 2:01 p.m. EDT to begin the 11-day, five-spacewalk mission to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope for one final time.

1715 GMT (1:15 p.m. EDT)

The Flight Readiness Review has examined presentations from the external tank and solid rocket booster projects, the Hubble Space Telescope and rescue plans using shuttle Endeavour. The meeting, which has been underway since 8 a.m. EDT, will review the orbiter project and Atlantis' status this afternoon.

NASA expects the FRR to warp up a bit earlier than planned. And as such, today's post-meeting news conference has been moved up to 5 p.m. EDT.

0401 GMT (12:01 a.m. EDT)

Senior NASA managers will caucus at the Kennedy Space Center on Thursday to review space shuttle Atlantis' preparedness to go fly the final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission and formally establish the launch date.

The traditional meeting held before every shuttle mission assesses the readiness of elements supporting the program, reviews the progress of pre-flight work, debates technical issues and then sets the official launch date.

NASA plans a post-meeting news conference around 6 p.m. EDT.

The day-long Flight Readiness Review will decide whether to clear Atlantis for its targeted launch date of May 11.

At launch pad 39A, verification testing with the newly installed payloads has been underway this week. The spacewalking suits were loaded into the shuttle Tuesday, new gaseous hydrogen flow control valves that balance the pressure between the external tank and main engines were being put into Atlantis Wednesday, closeouts of the shuttle compartments are proceeding and final launch-critical ordnance installation begins Thursday night.

FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2009

The launch date for shuttle Atlantis on the final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope has been moved a day sooner than originally planned. NASA today formally set May 11 as the new target, with a liftoff time of 2:01 p.m. EDT.

Read our full story.

1600 GMT (12:00 p.m. EDT)

A one-and-one-eighth-inch socket from a torque wrench fell from a service platform and hit the shuttle Atlantis' left payload bay door radiator during Hubble Space Telescope cargo installation earlier this week. In a lucky break for NASA's shuttle team, no one was injured, coolant lines in the radiator were not damaged and a dent where the socket impacted will not need repairs.

Read our full story.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2009

NASA managers are debating whether to move up launch of the shuttle Atlantis one day, from May 12 to May 11, to get as many launch opportunities as possible before standing down to make way for a military operation that requires support from the Air Force Eastern Range starting May 14, officials said Wednesday.

Read our full story.

THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2009

Even factoring in a recent satellite collision, an analysis of the threat posed by space debris at the Hubble Space Telescope's 350-mile-high altitude shows the crew of shuttle Atlantis, scheduled for launch May 12 on a mission to service the observatory, will not face a dramatically higher risk of potentially catastrophic damage.

Read our full story.

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2009

The multi-day process is underway at pad 39A to load storable propellants aboard space shuttle Atlantis to feed the maneuvering engines and thrusters, the orbiter's auxiliary power units and the solid rocket booster hydraulics.

Since arriving at the launch site last week, ground crews have completed readiness checks of the main engines, a propulsion system leak test using helium and preps to the orbiter's electricity-generating system. The pad's liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen fuel storage spheres have been replenished, too.

The seven astronauts, led by commander Scott Altman, flew into Kennedy Space Center last Wednesday for some refresher training on launch pad evacuation procedures and up-close inspections of the Hubble mission payloads. The crew underwent a full countdown dress rehearsal last year before the launch was postponed, so a complete redo of that exercise won't be performed this time around.

The crew is back in Houston for the final month of pre-flight preparations. Spacewalk training and rendezvous simulations are on tap this week.

Atlantis' launch countdown is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 9. A full timeline of the three-day countdown can be seen here.

Liftoff is targeted for 1:31 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 12. A chart showing the daily launch windows is posted here.

TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2009

The space shuttle Atlantis, bolted to a mobile launch platform atop an Apollo-era crawler-transporter, was hauled to launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center Tuesday for work to ready the ship for blastoff May 12 on a fifth and final mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.

Read our full story.

A gallery of rollout photos can be viewed here.

1522 GMT (11:22 a.m. EDT)

The mobile launch platform was lowered onto the pad pedestals at 11:17 a.m. EDT, marking the official time for Atlantis' arrival at pad 39A.

In the next few hours and days, the methodical process of hooking up the crew module assess and hydrogen vent arms extending from the launch tower, as well as electrical, propellant, communications and other lines between the ground systems and mobile launch platform will begin.

A hot-fire test of all three Auxiliary Power Units in the orbiter's hydraulics will be performed tomorrow. After that checkout is completed, the rotating service gantry will be moved around Atlantis.

1430 GMT (10:30 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis has climbed up the concrete ramp of launch pad 39A, its crawler-transporter having used massive hydraulic pistons to keep the mobile platform level.

A precision laser guidance system then helped align the platform over the pad pedestals. The crawler will lower the platform onto the pedestals to complete the rollout a short time from now.

1305 GMT (9:05 a.m. EDT)

The crawler is stopped at the perimeter gate at pad 39A while workers grease a bearing in the transporter. Once this is completed, Atlantis will ascend up the ramp.

1145 GMT (7:45 a.m. EDT)

The sun has risen on a pleasant morning at America's spaceport. Atlantis continues en route to launch pad 39A, making good time on the trip.

0955 GMT (5:55 a.m. EDT)

Now two hours into today's trek of shuttle Atlantis to the launch pad.

0915 GMT (5:15 a.m. EDT)

A quick image from this morning's rollout can be seen here.

0815 GMT (4:15 a.m. EDT)

In the predawn quiet along Florida's east-central coast, shuttle Atlantis has emerged from the doorway of the Vehicle Assembly Building for this morning's journey to pad 39A.

Atlantis spent the past week inside the VAB being attached to the external fuel tank and twin solid rockets atop a mobile platform in preparation for launch May 12 carrying new science instruments and replacement parts to rejuvenate the Hubble Space Telescope.

Hauling the shuttle stack out to the pad is one of NASA's two Apollo-era crawler-transporters. The three-and-a-half mile trek will take about six hours to complete. The combined weight of the transporter, mobile launch platform and shuttle is 17.5 million pounds.

The stone-covered pathway connecting the VAB to the launch pad is 130 feet wide -- almost as broad as an eight-lane highway. Two 40-foot-wide lanes are separated by a 50-foot-wide median strip. The average depth is seven feet.

About 30 people are aboard the transporter to operate it during the rollout, including three drivers -- a prime and backup in the front cabin and one in the rear -- a jacking and leveling operator, a control room operator to run crawler systems and talk with the Launch Control Center, two electricians, two electronic technicians and four diesel mechanics for starting, monitoring and shutting down the transporter's engines. The other team members are mechanics watching over the roll and helping with the platform's docking to the launch pad.

The transporter consumes 126 gallons of diesel fuel in each mile it travels from the VAB to pad. The vehicle has a fuel capacity of 5,000 gallons.

0757 GMT (3:57 a.m. EDT)

Good morning from the Kennedy Space Center where shuttle Atlantis is moving closer to its long-awaited mission to extend the life of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Rollout of the shuttle from the Vehicle Assembly Building to launch pad 39A began just moments ago as the giant tracks of the crawler-transporter started inching toward the exit of the 52-story facility.

MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2009

Six months after its mission to refurbish the Hubble Space Telescope was grounded by an electronics problem aboard the observatory, space shuttle Atlantis will return to the launch pad Tuesday morning.

Mounted atop its crawler-transporter, Atlantis will be moved from the Vehicle Assembly Building to pad 39A beginning at 4 a.m. EDT. The 3.5-mile trip typically takes about six hours.

Liftoff of the fifth and final shuttle flight to service Hubble is scheduled for May 12.

A failure in the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling system aboard the telescope last September forced NASA to scrap Atlantis' original October launch plans. The shuttle was perched atop the pad, but the extended delay resulted in Atlantis being rolled back to the hangar while two subsequent flights to the international space station proceeded.

During the past half-year, technicians have prepared a spare data handling unit to be flown aboard Atlantis and mounted in the telescope. The replacement device arrived at Kennedy Space Center around 7:30 a.m. EDT this morning for attachment onto the payload carrier Thursday.

The Atlantis astronauts will conduct five straight days of spacewalks to install a pair of new scientific instruments into Hubble, attempt ambitious repairs on two failed instruments, replace the observatory's original 19-year-old batteries, plus exchange other internal components. The servicing is expected to extend the telescope's life into the next decade.

MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2009
1611 GMT (12:11 p.m. EDT)


Shuttle Atlantis has arrived inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, completing a key milestone in preparations for its mid-May launch to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Over the next 24 hours, Atlantis will be hoisted upright to point its nose skyward, gently maneuvered high into the rafters of the 52-story building and then lowered into the assembly bay for attachment to the shuttle's awaiting external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters already put together atop the mobile launching platform.

Once Atlantis is bolted to the tank, the combined shuttle system will undergo several days of testing before rollout to pad 39A next Monday.

Atlantis is slated for launch May 12 at 1:11 p.m. EDT on the long-awaited mission to repair and upgrade NASA's original Great Observatory, the Hubble telescope.

1604 GMT (12:04 p.m. EDT)

Atlantis is making the turn into the VAB now.

1555 GMT (11:55 a.m. EDT)

At Kennedy Space Center, space shuttle Atlantis has emerged from its processing hangar. Mounted atop a 76-wheel transporter, the shuttle is taking a quarter-mile trip to the cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building. The move was delayed from earlier this morning due to rainy weather at the Florida spaceport.

1535 GMT (11:35 a.m. EDT)

At the Kennedy Space Center, ground crews are starting to move the space shuttle Atlantis out of its hangar. The orbiter is being transported to the Vehicle Assembly Building for attachment to an external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters.

Atlantis will be rolled out to launch pad 39A next week to begin preparations for liftoff May 12 to service the Hubble Space Telescope.

Spaceflight Now Plus
Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS CHAT WITH PRESS AT LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO: CREW ARRIVES AT CAPE FOR PRACTICE COUNTDOWN PLAY
VIDEO: COMMENTS FROM COMMANDER AFTER ARRIVING PLAY

VIDEO: AERIAL VIEWS OF ATLANTIS AND ENDEAVOUR PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: SHUTTLE ARRIVES ATOP PAD 39A PLAY
VIDEO: ATLANTIS EMERGES FROM VEHICLE ASSEMBLY BUILDING PLAY
VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE MOVIE OF ATLANTIS' ROLLOUT TO LAUNCH PAD PLAY

VIDEO: ATLANTIS ROLLS FROM HANGAR TO VAB PLAY
VIDEO: ATLANTIS LIFTED INTO PLACE FOR ATTACHMENT PLAY

VIDEO: BIOGRAPHY MOVIE OF ATLANTIS' CREW PLAY
VIDEO: INTERVIEW WITH COMMANDER SCOTT ALTMAN PLAY
VIDEO: INTERVIEW WITH PILOT GREG JOHNSON PLAY
VIDEO: INTERVIEW WITH MS1 MIKE GOOD PLAY
VIDEO: INTERVIEW WITH MS2 MEGAN MCARTHUR PLAY
VIDEO: INTERVIEW WITH MS3 JOHN GRUNSFELD PLAY
VIDEO: INTERVIEW WITH MS4 MIKE MASSIMINO PLAY
VIDEO: INTERVIEW WITH MS5 DREW FEUSTEL PLAY
MORE: STS-125 VIDEO COVERAGE
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2008

NASA managers today cleared the shuttle Endeavour for launch Nov. 14 on a space station assembly and servicing mission. But work to test a component needed by the Hubble Space Telescope will not be finished in time for launch aboard the shuttle Atlantis in February, delaying the long-awaited flight to May at the earliest.

Read our full story.

2200 GMT (6:00 p.m. EDT)

Notes and quotes from the NASA news release just issued:

"We now have done enough analysis of all the things that need to happen with the flight spare unit to know that we cannot be ready for a February launch," said NASA's Astrophysics Division Director Jon Morse at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "The February date was an initial estimate, assuming minimal hardware preparations and test durations that are no longer viewed as realistic. We've communicated our assessment to the Space Shuttle Program so it can adjust near-term plans. We will work closely with the Shuttle Program to develop details for a new launch opportunity."

"Getting ourselves in a position to be ready to launch the Hubble mission will involve many steps, and a significant one took place earlier today," said Hubble Program Manager Preston Burch at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "We held a flight certification peer review meeting where every aspect for doing this effort -- the inspections needed, all the tests to be conducted, the certification process and the final flight preparations -- was examined. The conclusion was that we indeed have a very good plan in place."

The Hubble flight spare, known as the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling system, has been at Goddard since it was originally delivered as a back-up system in 1991. The unit currently is undergoing testing and examination to identify and correct any problems. That work will continue until mid-December.

The unit will then undergo environmental assessments that include electro-magnetic interference checks, vibration tests, and extended time in a thermal vacuum chamber. Environmental testing is anticipated to run from mid-December to early March 2009. Final testing will be conducted on the unit, and delivery to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is expected in early April.

"The equipment we are dealing with has a flight-proven design," said Burch." The original unit on Hubble ran for more than 18 years. We have a lot of spare parts if we encounter problems, and we have most of the same test equipment that was used with the original unit. We also have a lot of experience on our Hubble electrical replica, which uses the engineering model data handling unit."

The vast majority of the flight hardware, tools and support equipment that will be used during the mission will be stored at Kennedy. A small amount of new work such as re-lubricating the latches on the Soft Capture Mechanism and testing the motors on the Flight Support System will be conducted. The Wide Field Camera 3 will remain in its carrier. The Cosmic Origins Spectrograph is in a special double-layered purge system in its shipping container to help support its environmental needs. The new batteries to be installed during the mission are in cold storage at Goddard and will be returned to Kennedy in 2009.

2135 GMT (5:35 p.m. EDT)

NASA officials today scrapped the possibility of space shuttle Atlantis flying the final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope next February, saying the additional time needed to ready replacement electronics for the observatory will push back the launch window until at least May.

Hubble suffered a component failure in late September that took away redundancy in its science data handling system. A spare unit available on the ground is undergoing qualification testing in order for its addition to the servicing mission. But that preparatory work can't be completed in time to support a February launch, officials said today.

As a result the extended postponement for Atlantis, it is expected that the shuttle will have to be disassembled. The shuttle was rolled back from pad 39A to the Vehicle Assembly Building on October 20 for storage. Now, ground crews will remove Atlantis from the external tank and boosters for return to its hangar.

Space agency leaders continue to assess where the Hubble servicing mission can fit into the overall shuttle schedule and the remaining construction flights to the space station. A meeting at NASA Headquarters is planned for next week.

With the Atlantis mission moving deeper into 2009, the shuttle program will keep Discovery's STS-119 mission on target for its February 12 launch date to deliver the final set of power-generating solar arrays to the station.

Meanwhile, the Flight Readiness Review today affirmed plans for launching Endeavour on its logistics-delivery mission to the space station on November 14. NASA plans a news conference from Kennedy Space Center following the FRR, and you can read our STS-126 Mission Status Center for updates.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2008

Engineers believe they understand what caused isolated problems during restart of the Hubble Space Telescope's science instruments last week in the wake of an earlier electrical glitch. They have successfully restarted Hubble's B-side payload computer, officials said Thursday, and hope to bring the first of the telescope's major science instruments back on line this weekend.

Read our full story.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2008

After a weekend of troubleshooting, engineers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center have not yet pinned down the cause of two glitches last week that prevented restart of the Hubble Space Telescope's science instruments, officials said Tuesday.

Read our full story.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2008
1800 GMT (2:00 p.m. EDT)


Space shuttle Atlantis safely arrived back inside the Vehicle Assembly Building this afternoon. The rollback officially began at 6:45 a.m. and was called complete at 1:42 p.m. EDT.

1330 GMT (9:30 a.m. EDT)

The transporter is making its way by the fork in the crawlerway that leads to either pad 39A or pad 39B.

1245 GMT (8:45 a.m. EDT)

Some photos showing Atlantis' departure from pad 39A at sunrise this morning are posted here.

1215 GMT (8:15 a.m. EDT)

Atlantis has exited through the pad perimeter fence on the road back to the VAB.

1054 GMT (6:54 a.m. EDT)

ROLLBACK BEGINS. The crawler-transporter with the mobile launch platform and shuttle Atlantis has begun inching away from the launch pad 39A pedestals for return to the Vehicle Assembly Building.

Rollbacks have been relatively rare occurrences over the life of the shuttle program. Today's move is the 19th since 1983, with the majority caused by technical problems. Several were prompted due to the threat of tropical weather and hurricanes.

But this rollback is just the second caused by an issue related to the mission payload. The other time occurred in March 1985 when Challenger was moved off pad 39A and its STS-51E flight cancelled because of problems with the the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-B cargo.

A complete list of rollbacks is available here.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2008

With its flight to the Hubble Space Telescope postponed until next year, space shuttle Atlantis will come off its launch pad Monday for storage inside the Vehicle Assembly Building.

Rollback from Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT). The crawler-transporter should have the shuttle anchored in the 52-story VAB by 2 p.m.

The new equipment troubles aboard Hubble and the need to ready replacement gear forced NASA to scrap the planned mid-October launch of the fifth and final servicing mission to the observatory. The space agency says mid-February is the soonest the flight could occur.

Once pad 39A is vacated, space shuttle Endeavour can be moved there from pad 39B. The payload will be installed in the pad 39A cleanroom later this week, then Endeavour will take the "rollaround" trip between the two shuttle pads on Saturday.

Endeavour is slated for launch to the space station on November 14.

Watch this page for live updates, pictures and video during Monday's rollback.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2008

Work to switch the Hubble Space Telescope to a backup science data management system after a component failed last month has been interrupted by a pair of on-board glitches during the restart process, officials said Friday.

Read our full story.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2008

After two weeks of engineering reviews and discussions, NASA managers have decided to press ahead with plans to put the Hubble Space Telescope into electronic hibernation Wednesday to carry out what amounts to long-distance neurosurgery.

Read our full story.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2008

Shuttle program managers are now targeting Nov. 14 for launch of the Endeavour on a space station repair and resupply mission. No target dates have yet been set for shuttle Atlantis' launch on a now-delayed flight to service the Hubble Space Telescope, but it appears the earliest possible launch slot is mid February.

Read our full story.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2008

A critical equipment failure aboard the Hubble Space Telescope on the eve of a long-awaited fifth and final shuttle servicing mission put astronomical observations on hold and forced NASA managers Monday to delay the mid-October flight of Atlantis, likely until next February or even later.

Read our full story.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2008

Shuttle program managers Wednesday ordered minor, expected delays for the next two shuttle missions - an October flight to service the Hubble Space Telescope and a November space station assembly mission - primarily because of training time lost in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.

Read our full story.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2008

Atlantis commander Scott Altman said today his crew lost a week of training time because of Hurricane Ike, "so you come to the question of either slipping the launch or cutting out events."

Read our full story.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2008

The Atlantis astronauts are reviewing emergency procedures at the Kennedy Space Center before participating in a dress-rehearsal countdown Wednesday. Launch on a high-profile mission to service and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope remains targeted for Oct. 10, but sources say the flight is expected to slip a few days because of training and hardware processing issues.

Read our full story.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2008

The astronauts to service the Hubble Space Telescope next month flew into Kennedy Space Center on Sunday afternoon for this week's countdown dress rehearsal and emergency training drills at launch pad 39A.

Led by commander Scott Altman, the seven-person crew that also includes pilot Greg Johnson, robot arm operator Megan McArthur and spacewalkers John Grunsfeld, Mike Good, Mike Massimino and Drew Feustel, flew from hurricane-battered Houston aboard several T-38 jets, touching down at the Cape a little after 5:30 p.m. EDT.

On their way to the spaceport runway, the crew buzzed over shuttle Atlantis at launch pad 39A.

"I just wanted to take a minute and tell you all how happy we are to be down here and how great it felt to fly by and see a pad with our vehicle on it, pointed up, ready to go," Altman told reporters after landing.

"It's great to be down here and turning our focus from the hurricane that's behind us now to the flight that's in front us."

The astronauts' home base at Johnson Space Center is slated to reopen Monday after being closed for 11 days by Hurricane Ike.

The crew came to Florida for the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT. Every shuttle crew undergoes this multi-day training exercise in the final weeks before a planned launch. The astronauts will spend time learning how to evacuate pad 39A if an emergency arises, including procedures to operate the slide-wire baskets that would quickly whisk the crew from the launch tower to a bunker west of the pad, and test-drive an armored tank available for the astronauts to escape the area.

Other activities on their schedule this week include flying landing approaches in the Shuttle Training Aircraft, trying on spacesuits and holding an informal chat with the news media at the pad. The TCDT culminates Wednesday when the crew boards Atlantis for a full countdown simulation.

The astronauts will follow a normal launch morning routine with breakfast, a weather briefing on conditions at the Cape and various abort landing sites, then don their suits and depart crew quarters at about 7:45 a.m. to board the Astrovan that will take them to pad 39A.

After arriving shortly past 8 a.m., all seven astronauts will climb inside Atlantis and strap into their assigned seats for the final three hours of the mock countdown.

Clocks will halt in the final seconds to simulate a shutdown of the three main engines just prior to liftoff around 11 a.m. The crew will egress the shuttle and practice scurrying to the slide-wire baskets.

For the countdown, the shuttle won't be fueled and the crew won't actually leave the tower in the baskets.

Once the countdown is completed, the crew will return home to Houston for the final weeks of training there.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2008

In advance of the Hubble servicing mission payload being delivered to launch pad 39A later this evening, the Rotating Service Structure was rolled away from space shuttle Atlantis a little before 6 a.m. today.

The gantry retraction created a very rare moment for the shuttle program as both Atlantis and sistership Endeavour sat fully visible on Kennedy Space Center's two launch pad. It was perhaps only the third time in shuttle history that two shuttles were fully exposed on the pads simultaneously, including September 1990 and August 1994.

Endeavour was rolled out to pad 39B yesterday and underwent a test of its hydraulics last night. The extraordinary photo opportunity concluded when the pad 39B gantry was moved around Endeavour shortly before 10 a.m. this morning.

You can keep up with Endeavour activities in our separate STS-126 status center here.

Atlantis' payload, including two new science instruments and replacement gear for the Hubble Space Telescope, is scheduled to arrive at pad 39A around 8 p.m. tonight. The canister will be hoisted into the service structure and the cargo offload in the pad's cleanroom.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2008

Technicians have cleaned up contamination concerns on a carrier housing fresh batteries and a new camera bound for the Hubble Space Telescope. The payloads for the servicing mission will be transported to space shuttle Atlantis at launch pad 39A on Saturday night.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2008

Trouble with a purge system connected to a canister housing fresh batteries and a new camera bound for the Hubble Space Telescope somehow blew insulation into protective bagging around the cargo carrier, officials reported late today. Work to inspect and clean the canister will delay its delivery to the shuttle Atlantis at launch pad 39A by at least 24 hours.

Read our full story.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2008

After an intense summer of long hours and tight schedules, ground technicians packing the new science instruments and equipment for launch to the Hubble Space Telescope are nearing the finish line.

About a 100 people, many working up to 12 hours a day with little time off, will see the payload travel to launch pad 39A late next week for installation into space shuttle Atlantis.

Getting hardware ready to fly has been the main pacing item in Atlantis' pre-launch campaign. Shuttle managers had wanted to move up the launch date, but the preparation time required by the payloads and the days lost when Kennedy Space Center was closed by Tropical Storm Fay actually caused NASA to delay the liftoff.

For now, officials say the schedules look doable to support an October 10 launch.

"I believe we're OK, but we can't miss a step," said Frank Cepollina, the Hubble program manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. "It's an every day, make your milestone type of deal."

The Atlantis astronauts will conduct five straight days of spacewalks to install a pair of new scientific instruments into Hubble, attempt ambitious repairs on two failed instruments, replace the observatory's original 18-year-old batteries, plus exchange other internal components. The fifth and final Hubble servicing is expected to extend the telescope's life into the next decade.

"This is the most EVA-intensive mission we have flown," Cepollina said. "It is the next leap in our ability to use the best of astronauts, the best of the science community and the best of space transportation."

All of the equipment has been stowed in carrier structures that will be tucked into Atlantis' payload bay. The gear began arriving at Kennedy Space Center's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility in mid-July.

This last Hubble maintenance mission will carry more to orbit than any of the previous flights, said Thomas Griffin, the Hubble observatory manager from Goddard.

Atlantis was rolled out to launch pad 39A on September 4. The payloads will arrive at the pad on the morning of September 19, just three weeks before flight.

"It is very quick," Deborah Hahn, the STS-125 mission manager at Kennedy, said of the pad timeline.

Hahn provided the following schedule of the payloads' remaining pre-launch milestones:

  • Sept. 13: Final closeouts before trip to pad
  • Sept. 14/15: Place protective bagging over equipment
  • Sept. 16/17: Payload placed into transport canister
  • Sept. 18/19: Canister moved to launch pad 39A
  • Sept. 22/23: Payload installed into shuttle Atlantis
  • Sept. 24: Verification test on IMAX camera
  • Sept. 26: Payload verification test with shuttle
  • Sept. 30: Payload end-to-end testing
  • Oct. 5: Top off battery charges
  • Oct. 6: Final closeouts for flight
  • Oct. 7: Atlantis' payload bay doors closed
  • Oct. 10: Launch of Atlantis

The officials acknowledge there is little time to spare in the schedule leading to the October 10 launch. But they remain optimistic the technicians can achieve the set goal.

"We've got to work around the bad things, make solutions and keep on trucking," Cepollina said.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2008

NASA today formally pushed back the target launch dates for shuttle Atlantis' servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope and Endeavour's logistics run to the space station.

The new scheduled calls for Atlantis to blast off October 10 at 12:33 a.m. EDT, two days later than planned. The 11-day flight will include five spacewalks to repair and upgrade Hubble. Landing back at the Kennedy Space Center would occur October 20 at approximately 10:21 p.m.

Endeavour's launch also moves two days. Liftoff of the 15-day mission to deliver supplies and cargo to the space station is slated for November 12 at 8:43 p.m. EST. A Kennedy Space Center landing is scheduled for approximately 3 p.m. on November 27.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2008

The space shuttle that will make the fifth and final servicing call on the Hubble Space Telescope was rolled to the launch pad Thursday for its October mission to extend the life and vision of the famous observatory.

Atlantis began the slow trek to Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A at 9:19 a.m. EDT, leaving the Vehicle Assembly Building after 12 days of work to connect the orbiter with the external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters, plus waiting out the possible threat from Tropical Storm Hanna that never materialized.

"We're just so happy to get her out," said Atlantis flow director Angie Brewer. "We've had our challenges."

An Apollo-era transporter moved the shuttle stack and mobile launch platform along a 3.5-mile stone-covered pathway, ultimately securing the shuttle atop the pad pedestals at 3:52 p.m. EDT.

Atlantis is slated for launch October 8 at 1:34 a.m. EDT. The morning's launch opportunity would extend 62 minutes. However, the liftoff date could be pushed back a few days due to delays getting the payload ready for flight.

The five-spacewalk mission lasting 11 days will install new scientific instruments, replace other critical gear and make repairs to the orbiting telescope.

The work is aimed at extending the observatory's scientific life into the next decade. The craft was launched in 1990 and has undergone maintenance visits by astronauts in 1993, 1997, 1999 and 2002.

Led by commander Scott Altman, the Atlantis crew includes pilot Greg Johnson, robot arm operator Megan McArthur and spacewalkers John Grunsfeld, Mike Good, Mike Massimino and Drew Feustel.

NASA had scrapped plans for this fifth servicing in the wake of the shuttle Columbia tragedy due to safe concerns. The space agency later reversed the decision and drew up extraordinary rescue plans in case the ship suffers damage during its ascent to Hubble.

Since Atlantis doesn't have the capability of reaching a safe haven at the international space station from Hubble's orbit to await rescue, shuttle Endeavour will be poised for launch within days from nearby pad 39B. Endeavour will be rolled out of its hangar and into the Vehicle Assembly Building on September 12, then moved to the pad on September 19.

Assuming Endeavour's role as a rescue ship isn't needed, the shuttle will be moved to pad 39A in mid-October to be prepped for a supply-delivery mission to the space station. That launch is targeted for November 10 around 9:30 p.m. EST, though the date could slip back if Atlantis' liftoff is rescheduled.

1900 GMT (3:00 p.m. EDT)

Space shuttle Atlantis has arrived at launch pad 39A. The crawler-transporter now is positioning the mobile launch platform atop the pad pedestals to complete the rollout process. Once the platform is secured in place, the "harddown" will be achieved to mark the completion of Atlantis' trip from the Vehicle Assembly Building.

1330 GMT (9:30 a.m. EDT)

ROLLOUT BEGINS. Good morning from just outside the giant Vehicle Assembly Building where space shuttle Atlantis will emerge into the Florida sunshine in the next few minutes.

The massive machine known as a crawler-transporter, an Apollo-era vehicle, has begun its slow journey to haul Atlantis along the stone roadway to launch pad 39A. First motion of today's rollout occurred ust before 9:30 a.m. EDT.

The Atlantis orbiter is mounted to the external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters atop a mobile launching platform. The crawler will carry that entire stack from the VAB to the pad, a trip that will cover three-and-a-half miles and last more than five hours.

Atlantis' spaceflight next month will give the Hubble Space Telescope its fifth and final in-orbit overhaul. This major tune-up features the planned installation of two new science instruments and repairs to others, replacement of batteries and other critical gear, plus the attachment of new thermal shielding on the observatory.

1230 GMT (8:30 a.m. EDT)

The doors to High Bay No. 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building have been opened as crews ready space shuttle Atlantis to head for the launch pad.

The latest weather forecast for today's rollout calls for just some scattered clouds at 3,000, visibility of 7 miles or better, a northeasterly wind of 17 peaking to 25 knots and a temperature between 83 and 85 degrees F.

1010 GMT (6:10 a.m. EDT)

It's a "go" for today's rollout of space shuttle Atlantis from Kennedy Space Center's landmark Vehicle Assembly Building to launch pad 39A in advance of next month's Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission.

A just-completed weather briefing has given managers confidence that the shuttle can be safely moved to the pad beginning around 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT).

The rollout had been delayed two days due to the potential threat from Tropical Storm Hanna. But the storm's projected path has moved away from Florida, and now the space shuttle can make its way out to the launch pad without fear of Hanna impacting the Cape.

Watch this page for updates as the rollout gets underway later this morning.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2008
1745 GMT (1:45 p.m. EDT)


With the shifting track of Tropical Storm Hanna now easing the worries for Florida, NASA officials are making tentative plans to roll space shuttle Atlantis to launch pad 39A beginning at 10 a.m. EDT on Thursday.

The latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center shows Hanna's predicted path heading out of the Bahamas toward the Carolinas. If the storm follows the track, Hanna would remain well offshore of Florida's eastern coast.

Under the current schedule being discussed, officials would receive a weather briefing at 5:30 a.m. EDT on Thursday, followed by the rollout team reporting on station at 6 a.m. EDT.

Mounted atop a mobile launching platform, Atlantis would leave the Vehicle Assembly Building at 10 a.m. EDT for the three-and-a-half mile trip to the seaside pad. The trek usually takes about five hours to complete.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2008
1425 GMT (10:25 a.m. EDT)


Rollout of the space shuttle Atlantis to launch pad 39A is on hold until the threat from tropical storm Hanna subsides. The shuttle is now scheduled to make the 3.5 mile trip to the launch pad on Saturday morning at the earliest.

This morning Hanna was downgraded to tropical storm status but could regain hurricane strength later today or tomorrow. The storm's current forecast track will bring it close to Cape Canaveral on Thursday.

This morning officials at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station declared Hurricane Condition IV (HURCON IV), which indicates the bases could experience winds in excess of 50 knots within the next 72 hours. Work will begin immediately to secure launch pads and other facilities.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2008
2155 GMT (5:55 p.m. EDT)


Already running four days late because of Tropical Storm Fay and another three because of a technical snag, the shuttle Atlantis' move to launch pad 39A was held up another 24 hours today, from Tuesday to at least Wednesday, because of uncertainty about the possible impact of Hurricane Hanna.

Read our full story.

1910 GMT (3:10 p.m. EDT)

NASA spokesman Allard Beutel has confirmed that Atlantis' rollout is delayed 24 hours to Wednesday morning at the earliest. "NASA managers made the decision Monday afternoon to allow more time to evaluate potential affects from Hurricane Hanna," he said in a recorded status report.

The storm grew to hurricane strength today and is forecast to pass east of the Kennedy Space Center on Thursday. Based on the current track, Hanna could clip the Cape Canaveral area with tropical storm force winds.

1755 GMT (1:55 p.m. EDT)

Following this afternoon's weather briefing, the rollout of space shuttle Atlantis has been delayed by at least 24 hours. Rollout is now scheduled for no earlier than 12:01 a.m. EDT (0401 GMT) Wednesday.

We will post additional details as we get them.

1744 GMT (1:44 p.m. EDT)

The National Hurricane Center in Miami is reporting that Hanna has strengthened and is now a hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 75 miles per hour. NASA is closely monitoring the storm as it plans to roll shuttle Atlantis to the launch pad tonight.

1700 GMT (1:00 p.m. EDT)

NASA managers are receiving a weather briefing as they prepare to roll shuttle Atlantis from the Vehicle Assembly Building to its launch pad. They will discuss the latest forecast tracks for Tropical Storm Hanna which bring it off shore of the Kennedy Space Center on Thursday evening, by which time it will have strengthened to a category one hurricane packing winds of 80 miles per hour.

Workers are due to report to stations in the Vehicle Assembly Building to begin preparations for the roll to pad A at 8 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT). Atlantis is scheduled to start its move at 12:01 a.m. (0401 GMT). Work platforms have been retracted from around the shuttle stack in readiness for its departure.

See the latest forecast track from the National Hurricane Center.

1500 GMT (11:00 a.m. EDT)

NASA managers are pressing ahead with plans to roll shuttle Atlantis to the launch pad but are keeping a watchful eye on the track of Tropical Storm Hanna. Riding atop the crawler transporter, the shuttle is due to start the 3.5 mile journey to launch pad 39A at 12:01 a.m. EDT (0401 GMT) tonight.

Hanna, with maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour, is currently in the Bahamas but is forecast to start moving north west towards Florida and could build to hurricane strength by the middle of the week.

Shuttle officials will hear additional weather briefings as the day goes on to determine if the storm could pose a threat to Atlantis at its seaside launch pad later in the week. We will post any developments on this page

Over the weekend in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) workers conducted the standard shuttle interface tests to check the connections between Atlantis and its fuel tank and boosters. Some work normally accomplished in the VAB will be completed at the launch pad.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2008

Troubles getting the liquid hydrogen umbilical connected between space shuttle Atlantis and its external fuel tank inside the Vehicle Assembly Building has delayed the rollout to launch pad 39A.

The 3.5-mile trip to the seaside pad had been targeted for Saturday morning. But the difficulty experienced this week means the shuttle won't be ready to leave the VAB until at least Tuesday morning.

Atlantis arrived in the VAB last Friday for attachment to the tank and twin solid rockets. During subsequent work to connect the main liquid hydrogen line, a guide pin became stuck as technicians were turning a bolt.

"Technicians have removed a stuck guide pin on the plate that connects the external tank's liquid hydrogen umbilical to the shuttle. Workers now are making a series of follow-up inspections before reattaching the umbilical and other connections to prepare Atlantis for launch," a NASA status report said today.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2008

After spending four extra days parked inside its hangar while Tropical Storm Fay poured on the Kennedy Space Center, shuttle Atlantis finally moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Friday night in preparation for its October launch to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Mounted atop a 76-wheel transporter, the shuttle was backed out of the space-age garage for the quarter-mile drive into the cavernous VAB. The trip was completed at 10:50 p.m. EDT.

Over the next 24 hours, Atlantis will be hoisted upright to point its nose skyward, gently maneuvered high into the rafters of the 52-story building and then lowered into the assembly bay for attachment to the shuttle's awaiting external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters already put together atop the mobile launching platform.

Once Atlantis is bolted to the tank, the combined shuttle system will undergo several days of testing before rollout to pad 39A in about a week.

Atlantis is slated for launch October 8 at 1:34 a.m. EDT on an 11-day mission to repair and upgrade NASA's original Great Observatory, the Hubble telescope.

"The amazing thing about the Hubble Space Telescope is that it has the capability to be serviced by humans and represents the best marriage between human spaceflight and robotic science spacecraft, and that marriage allows us to upgrade the telescope to give it new capability," says Atlantis mission specialist and veteran Hubble astronaut, John Grunsfeld.

"If you look at the original Hubble Space Telescope that was launched in 1990, no one at that time could have imagined the capabilities in the detectors, the cameras that we put on Hubble, and the scientific instruments, that we have available now, and that's what we're going to put up with the new Wide Field Camera 3, which is an incredible camera that's really going to open up sort of the doors of Hubble for new discoveries, and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, which is going to be the best spectrograph, dividing light into all its component colors to allow you to do real physics. Those two instruments are our primary goals to make Hubble a much better telescope.

"Now, in order to allow those instruments to operate, we also have to do some regular servicing, just like your car, things that you know are going to wear out that you have to upgrade. And the principal components for that on this flight are going to be putting in new Rate Sensor Units, which are the gyroscopes that allow Hubble to point so finely, new batteries, and a new Fine Guidance Sensor. These are the tools that Hubble uses to operate, to allow the scientific instruments to get their interesting results.

"And then there's always the things that just break on the telescope, and we'll go and fix a few of those things."

Led by commander Scott Altman, the Atlantis crew includes pilot Greg Johnson, robot arm operator Megan McArthur and spacewalkers Grunsfeld, Mike Good, Mike Massimino and Drew Feustel.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2008
0900 GMT (5:00 a.m. EDT)


Kennedy Space Center will be closed today due to Tropical Storm Fay.

MONDAY, AUGUST 18, 2008

Storm preparations continued at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral on Monday.

Air Force officials have declared only "mission essential" personnel at Patrick Air Force Base and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station should report for duty on Tuesday. All other personnel are instructed to shelter in place and remain in contact with their chain of command.

According to the Air Force press release:

"Mission essential personnel are defined as all personnel required to take care of Air Force operational and installation assets during the storm passage. All services will be closed except for the Child Development Center, Riverside Dining Facility, Fitness Center, gas station and Commissary/Base Exchange. The Patrick AFB Clinic and Satellite Pharmacy will be closed on Tuesday."

Weather briefings are planned early Tuesday morning to determine whether the Kennedy Space Center will be open for business or closed for the day while Fay passes through the Central Florida area. An announcement is expected by 5 a.m.

The move of Atlantis to the Vehicle Assembly Building is not expected to occur until Thursday. Plenty of margin in the pre-flight schedule would still remain despite the few days of delay.

0305 GMT (11:05 p.m. EDT Sun.)

The 11 p.m. update from the National Hurricane Center has nudged Fay's track slightly back to the east. You can see the latest forecast path here.

0030 GMT (8:30 p.m. EDT Sun.)

The threat posed to Cape Canaveral by Tropical Storm Fay has lessened a bit, according to the latest forecast and projected track from the National Hurricane Center issued Sunday evening.

But Atlantis will stay within the Orbiter Processing Facility hangar on Monday. Officials said Sunday night that the earliest the shuttle could be transferred to the Vehicle Assembly Building is 7 a.m. on Tuesday, assuming weather conditions are safe and acceptable.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 17, 2008
1750 GMT (1:50 p.m. EDT)


Space shuttle Atlantis will remain inside its hangar until after Fay, the tropical weather system expected to hit Florida on Tuesday, passes clear of the spaceport. The shuttle had been scheduled to move into the Vehicle Assembly Building on Monday morning for attachment to its fuel tank and solid rocket boosters.

"It is uncertain that the rollover could be followed completing the operation to mate Atlantis to the external tank/solid rocket booster stack before possible tropical storm conditions arrive at the Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday evening," NASA spokesman George Diller said in a statement.

A new date for Atlantis' move has not been set. Officials say the delay should not impact the planned October 8 launch on the fifth and final mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.

As of early Sunday afternoon, the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station were under a low-level HURCON 4 status. That Hurricane Condition means personnel should begin preparing for the possible arrival of a storm.

The Cape Canaveral area could see 50-knot winds and heavy rain on Tuesday evening, Diller said.

The three shuttle orbiters are in their protective hangars, while Cape-side two rockets are standing within launch pad mobile service gantries. A Delta 2 rocket slated to launch a Global Positioning System satellite in October is stacked atop pad 17A and a Delta 4-Heavy vehicle to deploy a classified spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office in late September is awaiting flight at pad 37B. In addition, an Atlas 5 that will carry the Air Force's next Wideband Global SATCOM communications satellite is located inside the vertical assembly building at Complex 41.

The latest forecast path of Fay can be seen on the National Hurricane Center's website.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2008

NASA officials today have decided against moving up the shuttle Atlantis and Endeavour launch dates, leaving the Hubble servicing mission and space station flight as originally scheduled.

Atlantis is slated for blastoff October 8 at 1:34 a.m. EDT, followed by Endeavour on November 10 around 9:30 p.m. EST.

Read our full story.

0401 GMT (12:01 a.m. EDT)

Space shuttle program leaders will meet today and discuss a proposal to move up the target launch dates for the next two missions in October and November.

Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled for blastoff October 8 on the fifth and final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope and Endeavour's logistics delivery flight to the space station is slated to follow on November 10.

But NASA wants to advance both launches. Under a scenario that could be approved today, Atlantis' much-anticipated Hubble mission would launch October 5 at 3:02 a.m. EDT and Endeavour would take flight November 7 at 10:39 p.m. EST.

The two missions have an unusual coupling because Endeavour will stand poised for launch on neighboring pad 39B as a rescue vehicle should Atlantis suffer a major problem during its mission. Since the Hubble Space Telescope flies in an equatorial orbit, the Atlantis crew cannot reach the space station for safe haven. That means NASA must take unique steps to have Endeavour ready to go if Atlantis sustains damage and engineers deem the ship unsafe for re-entry.

Once Atlantis is declared in good shape, Endeavour will transfer to pad 39A to undergo final preps for its station flight that will haul equipment and supplies to the outpost.

NASA typically requires about a month between any two shuttle launches and managers want to move up the Atlantis and Endeavour dates to gain a little more margin that will ensure both get off the ground this year.

A so-called beta angle cutout begins around November 25 for the Endeavour trip to the space station. If the shuttle isn't launched before then, thermal issues caused by the angle between the sun and the plane of the station's orbit would prompt a significant delay.

Atlantis will take the first step toward the launch pad early Monday with a planned 7 a.m. EDT trek from its hangar to the Vehicle Assembly Building for attachment to the external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters. Rollout to pad 39A is scheduled a week later.

The external tank for Endeavour's launch arrived at Kennedy Space Center earlier this week and was hoisted into a checkout cell within the cavernous VAB. The fully-assembled Endeavour shuttle stack is expected to make its rollout to pad 39B in mid-September.

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