Atlantis Readied for Rollover to VAB

At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida technicians will perform final tire pressurization today on space shuttle Atlantis.

Vehicle power down, aft structural leak tests and shuttle compartment pressure tests were completed yesterday.

Workers in the Vehicle Assembly Building are in the process of performing final preps on the external fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters before Atlantis is attached to them following rollover, scheduled for Oct. 6.

The six STS-129 crew members will be doing a variety of training exercises today at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston that relate to each astronaut’s role in the mission.

In particular, Commander Charlie Hobaugh will be practicing flight proficiency training in a T-38 jet and Mission Specialist Leland Melvin will practice working with the Expedite the Processing of Experiments, or EXPRESS, rack, one of the several pieces of equipment Atlantis will be delivering to the International Space Station.

EXPRESS is a standardized shuttle payload rack system that transports, stores and supports experiments aboard the station.

Rollout of shuttle Atlantis to Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39A is scheduled for Oct. 13, and liftoff is targeted for 4:04 p.m. EST Nov. 12.