Workers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center will begin final ordnance connections at Launch Pad 39A in preparation for space shuttle Endeavour’s liftoff to the International Space Station targeted for 4:39 a.m. EST Feb. 7.
Engineers met yesterday to review data after lightning struck about a half mile from the pad during a thunderstorm Jan. 22. They concluded there was no damage to the shuttle or launch pad.
Also, technicians are checking out the astronauts’ spacesuits before they’re carefully packed into special containers and loaded onto the shuttle.
At NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, STS-130 Commander George Zamka and Pilot Terry will practice shuttle landings in their T-38 jets, while the other crew members review elements of their flight plan.
Tomorrow the agency’s Flight Readiness Review, or FRR, for the STS-130 mission will be held at Kennedy. Afterward, NASA will announce an official launch date during a post-meeting briefing aired on NASA TV. The briefing also can be found on www.nasa.gov/ntv.