Science
Space shuttle to move to its launch pad
Cape Canaveral, Fla. | August 27, 2008 12:01:13 AM IST
The U.S. space agency is planning the first liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A since it was damaged during a May launch. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said space shuttle Atlantis will be moved early Saturday from the space center's Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad during a six-hour period. Atlantis is targeted to liftoff Oct. 8 on a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. Repairs to Launch Pad 39A's flame trench wall were completed Aug. 5 after crews installed a steel grid structure and covered it in a heat-resistant material. The pad's north flame trench was damaged when bricks tore away from the wall during the May 31 launch of space shuttle Discovery. The Atlantis STS-125 11-day mission will include five spacewalks. Atlantis will be commanded by Scott Altman, with Gregory Johnson serving as pilot. Astronauts will be John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino, Megan McArthur, Andrew Feustel and Michael Good. (UPI)
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