Sat, Oct 31, 2009
Flight Readiness Review Clears STS-129
NASA's space shuttle Atlantis is
targeted to begin an 11-day flight to the International Space
Station with a November 16th launch from the Kennedy Space Center
in Florida. Liftoff is scheduled for 1428 EST.
Atlantis' launch date was announced Thursday 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's equipment, support systems and
procedures are ready.
The Nov. 16 target date depends on the planned November 14th
launch of an Atlas V rocket from nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station. The Atlas has reserved the Eastern Range on November 14th
and 15th. If the Atlas launch is delayed to November 15th, the
shuttle's liftoff will move to no earlier than 1402 on November
17th.
The STS-129 mission will focus on storing spare hardware on the
exterior of the space station. The flight will include three
spacewalks and install two platforms on the station's truss, or
backbone. The platforms will hold spare parts to sustain station
operations after the shuttle fleet is retired.
Commander Charlie Hobaugh and his crew of five astronauts are
scheduled to arrive at Kennedy at approximately 1700 on Thursday,
November 12th, for final launch preparations. Joining Hobaugh on
STS-129 will be Pilot Barry Wilmore and Mission Specialists Leland
Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Bobby Satcher. Nicole
Stott, an astronaut who currently resides on the station, will
return home with the Atlantis crew after living in space for more
than two months. Her return on the shuttle is slated to be the
final time it is used to rotate space station crew members.
STS-129 will be Atlantis' 31st mission and the 31st shuttle
flight dedicated to station assembly and maintenance.
More News
Airbus Racer Demonstrator Makes Inaugural Flight Airbus Helicopters' ambitious Racer demonstrator has achieved its inaugural flight as part of the Clean Sky 2 initiative, a corners>[...]
A little Bit Quieter, Said Testers, But in the End it's Still a DA40 Diamond Aircraft recently completed a little pilot project with Lufthansa Aviation Training, putting a pair of >[...]
Line Up And Wait (LUAW) Used by ATC to inform a pilot to taxi onto the departure runway to line up and wait. It is not authorization for takeoff. It is used when takeoff clearance >[...]
Contributing To The Accident Was The Pilot’s Use Of Methamphetamine... Analysis: The pilot departed on a local flight to perform low-altitude maneuvers in a nearby desert val>[...]
From 2015 (YouTube Version): Overcoming Obstacles To Achieve Their Dreams… At EAA AirVenture 2015, FedEx arrived with one of their Airbus freight-hauling aircraft and placed>[...]
Airbus Racer Helicopter Demonstrator First Flight Part of Clean Sky 2 Initiative
See All