Atlantis To Launch On Hubble Servicing Mission May 11
Cape Canaveral FL (SPX) May 01, 2009 Top NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the STS-125 mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope during Thursday's executive-level Flight Readiness Review at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and determined the shuttle's equipment, support systems and procedures are ready for flight. "We had a very thorough review today," said Bill Gerstenmaier associate administrator for Space Operations, "and we set the launch date for May 11 at 2:01 p.m. Eastern Time. "The teams are ready to go do what they need to do, and the vehicles look like they are in good shape." Gerstenmaier concluded. Space Shuttle Program Manager John Shannon echoed that assessment of the meeting, saying it was a "very smooth FRR... could not have gone any smoother. There were no dissenting opinions and no real big discussion topics that we had lengthy debate about."
STS-125 Astronauts Inspect Payload for Hubble Mission During the 11-day mission's five spacewalks, astronauts will install two new instruments, repair two inactive ones and perform the component replacements that will keep the telescope functioning into at least 2014. In addition to the originally scheduled work, Atlantis also will carry a replacement Science Instrument Command and Data Handling Unit for Hubble. Astronauts will install the unit on the telescope, removing the one that stopped working on Sept. 27, 2008, delaying the servicing mission until the replacement was ready. Related Links STS-125 Mission Summary Shuttle at NASA Watch NASA TV via Space.TV Space Shuttle News at Space-Travel.Com
Shuttle Discovery heads for space station Cape Canaveral, Florida (AFP) March 16, 2009 After a successful liftoff, the US space shuttle Discovery headed for the International Space Station early Monday, carrying a final pair of solar panels due to be installed ahead of the arrival of an expanded space crew. |
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