Earlier Launch Would Have Conflicted With Russian Progress Vehicle Docking

Following discussions among the International Space Station partners on Sunday, NASA has targeted the launch of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission for 1547 EDT on Friday, April 29. The delay removes a scheduling conflict with a Russian Progress supply vehicle scheduled to launch April 27 and arrive at the station April 29.

NASA managers will hold a Flight Readiness Review on Tuesday, April 19, to assess the team's readiness to support launch. An official launch date will be selected at the conclusion of the meeting.

The Progress 42 spacecraft will be delivering supplies to the station. Three more members of the Expedition 27 crew are scheduled to launch at 6:18 pm EDT on Monday, April 4, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Their arrival will return the station crew's size to six members. Russian cosmonauts Andrey Borisenko and Alexander Samokutyaev and NASA astronaut Ron Garan are scheduled to arrive at the station at 7:18 p.m., Wednesday, April 6, to join cosmonaut Expedition 27 Commander Dmitry Kondratyev, European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli and NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, who have been aboard the station since mid-December.

STS-134 Crew

Meanwhile only minor damage was found to space shuttle Endeavour's external fuel tank foam during detailed inspections Saturday by technicians and engineers on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Evaluations indicate there was no damage to the spacecraft. Teams were assessing any possible damage from severe storms that hit Kennedy on Wednesday and Thursday.

FMI: www.nasa.gov