This weekend at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians will continue preparing Atlantis for its move, or rollover, from Orbiter Processing Facility-1 to the Vehicle Assembly Building, targeted for Oct. 6.
Pre-rollover preps this weekend include work on the shuttle’s thermal protection system, or heat shield, and application of waterproofing to the payload bay door hinge line. Atlantis’ payload bay door will be closed today.
Meanwhile, the shuttle’s hatch also is being prepared to be closed. Final preps are ongoing on the forward and wing sections of the shuttle and temporary doors will be installed to support rollover.
After Atlantis is rolled into in the VAB, it will be hoisted off the transfer aisle and joined with the external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters that already have been stacked on the mobile launcher platform in High Bay 2.
Rollout to Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39A is scheduled for Oct. 13.