Launch Countdown Under Way For STS-132

Members of the STS-132 launch team take their stations in Firing Room 4 for the start of the STS-132 launch countdown. From left are United Space Alliance Orbiter Test Conductors Lauren Sally and Scott Kraftchick and NASA Test Directors William Heidtman and Jeffrey Skaja. Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett.

US shuttle Atlantis to deliver chip from Newton's apple tree to ISS
Moscow (RIA Novosti) May 12 - The U.S. space shuttle Atlantis will deliver to the International Space Station a chip from an apple tree under which Isaac Newton is believed to have been sitting when an apple fell on his head, unveiling to him the law of gravity, a NASA expert said. The 10-centimeter (almost 4-inch) relic provided by Britain's Royal Society will be sent to the ISS with the Atlantis mission scheduled to begin on May 14, the expert said. The act is dedicated to the society's 350th anniversary.

Shuttle Atlantis, which will deliver Russia's Rassvet research module to the ISS, is planned to blast off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10:20 p.m. Moscow time (18:20 GMT). The shuttle's crew plans to carry out three space walks during the 12-day mission, which is expected to be the last space trip by Atlantis. NASA is planning to scrap its Space Shuttle program by the end of the year. The U.S. space agency says the shuttles are outdated and too expensive to maintain. The last launch of the U.S. space shuttle Endeavor is planned for mid-November. Russian Soyuz spacecrafts will take U.S. astronauts to the space station after NASA stops launching its shuttles.

by Staff Writers
Kennedy Space Center FL (SPX) May 12, 2010
The countdown to liftoff of space shuttle Atlantis on its STS-132 mission officially has started. Countdown clocks at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida were activated at 4 p.m. EDT, ticking backward from the T-43 hour mark.

"Teams at the Kennedy Space Center and at other centers around the country have been working very hard to get this vehicle ready to fly, and I am happy to report everything is going quite well at [Launch Pad 39A]," NASA Test Director Steve Payne said Tuesday morning.

"Atlantis, crew and launch team are ready to go and looking forward to a beautiful launch Friday afternoon."

During the 12-day mission, Atlantis and the mission's six astronauts are delivering an Integrated Cargo Carrier and a Russian-built Mini Research Module to the International Space Station.

Technicians will close Atlantis' payload bay doors today, although a few experiments will be added to Atlantis' middeck about 28 hours prior to launch.

Atlantis' astronauts arrived at Kennedy on Monday evening, touching down at the Shuttle Landing Facility in four T-38 jets at 6:49 p.m. today the crew members will review flight day file material and take part in a checkout of their orange launch-and-entry suits.

Liftoff is scheduled for May 14 at 2:20 p.m. According to Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters, weather is expected to be favorable, with a 70 percent chance of good conditions.

The primary weather concern for Friday is the possibility of a low cloud ceiling. Partly cloudy and generally dry conditions will dominate the afternoon hours throughout the week.

STS-132 Overview
Space shuttle Atlantis is embarking on its final planned mission. During the 12-day flight, Atlantis and six astronauts will fly to the International Space Station, leaving behind a Russian Mini Research Module, a set of batteries for the station's truss and dish antenna, along with other replacement parts.

NASA astronaut Ken Ham will command an all-veteran flight crew: Pilot Tony Antonelli, and Mission Specialists Michael Good, Garrett Reisman, Piers Sellers and Steve Bowen.

After the final STS-132 Flight Readiness Review, John Shannon, Space Shuttle Program manager, pointed out that Atlantis' last planned mission will be an exciting one.

"Twelve days, three [spacewalks], tons of robotics... We're putting on spares that make us feel good about the long-term sustainability of the ISS, replacing batteries that have been up there for a while, and docking a Russian-built ISS module," Shannon said. "This flight has a little bit of everything, and it's been a great preparation for the team."

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Space Shuttle May Continue Through Next Year
Moscow, Russia (RIA Novosti) May 10, 2010
The U.S. Space Shuttle program may not come to an end this year, Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos said in a statement, citing International Space Station (ISS) manager. According to Michael Suffredini, the space shuttle Atlantis may be launched to the ISS in summer 2011. "In this case, additional scientific equipment and components for system of water regeneration from condensa ... read more

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