Astronauts Prepare to Head to the Launch Pad

Space shuttle Atlantis’ astronauts are donning their orange launch-and-entry suits in crew quarters and are set to depart at 7:36 a.m. EDT for Launch Pad 39A. The crew will begin boarding Atlantis at 8:06 a.m.

Inside the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the launch team continues to closely monitor the weather. The forecast remains 30 percent “go” with a concern for showers and thunderstorms within 20 nautical miles of the Shuttle Landing Facility, flight through precipitation, and cumulus clouds. Liftoff time is 11:26 a.m. Teams are not working any issues that would delay the launch of Atlantis on mission STS-135, the final flight of the Space Shuttle Program.