At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians at Launch Pad 39A Thursday night wrapped up all X-ray scans of the stringers, which are the 21-foot long support beams on space shuttle Atlantis’ external fuel tank. The scans were finished well ahead of schedule, and engineers have found no issues as they continue to analyze the results. Teams at the pad also are installing the heat shield for space shuttle main engine No. 3, and this weekend they will conduct a full retest of the engine’s main fuel valve. The valve was replaced earlier in the week due to a suspected leak detected during a tanking test on June 15.
The STS-135 astronauts are back at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston following the completion of their countdown dress rehearsal and training activities at Kennedy this week. Today they’ll conduct a final review of the flight data file in preparation for their mission to the International Space Station.
The targeted launch date for this final mission of the Space Shuttle Program is July 8.