In Place For Atlantis Rescue Mission If Necessary

NASA tells ANN the space shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Thursday, September 18, in preparation for shuttle Atlantis' mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. Endeavour will stand by in the unlikely event a rescue mission is necessary following Atlantis' launch, which is targeted for October 10.

After Endeavour is cleared from its duty as a rescue vehicle, it will move to Launch Pad 39A for its primary STS-126 mission to the International Space Station. That flight is targeted for launch November 12.

On Thursday, Endeavour rolled over from Kennedy's Orbiter Processing Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building. There, Endeavour will be attached to its external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters to prepare for its move to the pad.

The first motion of the shuttle toward the launch pad September 18 is scheduled for 12:01 am EDT. The fully assembled space shuttle -- consisting of the orbiter, external tank and twin solid rocket boosters -- will be delivered to the pad atop a crawler-transporter.

The crawler will travel slower than 1 mph during the 4.2-mile journey. The process is expected to take approximately seven hours.

FMI: www.nasa.gov/shuttle