Fri, May 07, 2010
Will Be Final Scheduled Flight For Atlantis
Space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to begin a 12-day flight to
the International Space Station with a launch at 1420 EDT on
Friday, May 14, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The
STS-132 mission is Atlantis' final scheduled flight.
Atlantis' launch date was announced Wednesday at the conclusion
of a flight readiness review at Kennedy. During the meeting, senior
NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the
mission and determined the shuttle and station's equipment, support
systems and personnel are ready.
STS-132 is the third of five shuttle missions planned for 2010.
Two flights remain until the retirement of the shuttle fleet. The
STS-133 and STS-134 launches are targeted for September and
November, respectively.
The six astronauts for Atlantis' STS-132 mission will deliver
the Russian-built Mini Research Module-1, also known as Rassvet
(dawn in Russian) to the station. The flight also will transport
critical spare parts and cargo, including six new solar array
batteries and Ku-band antenna systems. During the mission, three
spacewalks are planned to put those spare parts on the station.
Commander Ken Ham and his crew are scheduled to arrive at
Kennedy at approximately 7 p.m. on Monday, May 10, for final launch
preparations. Joining Ham are Pilot Tony Antonelli, and Mission
Specialists Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen, and Piers
Sellers.
STS-132 will be Atlantis' 32nd mission and the 34th shuttle
flight dedicated to station assembly and maintenance.
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