![]() All that simulation didn't prepare me for the spectacle of launch. "I trained almost 10 years before I got to go on my first space shuttle flight. "The ascent is pretty spectacular," he said. Working in two-man teams, Fincke, Chamitoff and Feustel also plan to carry out four spacewalks to service massive rotating solar array drive mechanisms and to perform a variety of maintenance tasks.īut for Johnson, the most exciting moment likely will be Endeavour's thundering climb to space. The primary goals of the flight are to deliver a $2 billion particle physics experiment to the International Space Station, along with needed supplies, science gear and a pallet of spare parts that will be stored on the lab's power truss. NASA managers plan to hold an executive-level flight readiness review on April 8 to assess Endeavour's ground processing and to set an official launch date. "We are still planning, we have a lot of options we are considering at this point." "Our number one concern is that it will be safe and appropriate for her to do that," Francisco said. Gerard Francisco, the chief medical officer, told reporters Friday.īut a final decision will depend on the progress of her recovery. "The goal is for her to witness the launch in April," Dr. Kelly told reporters last month that he expected his wife to attend Endeavour's launching and doctors said Friday there is "a good possibility" she will be able to make the trip. Gabrielle Giffords, was shot in the head in January and is undergoing therapy at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston. Joining Johnson for the 134th shuttle mission will be commander Mark Kelly, Michael Fincke, Gregory Chamitoff, Andrew Feustel and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori. "It's an inspiration for me seeing the kids out there," he said.Įndeavour's slow trip to the pad was completed around 3:49 a.m. "So I was happy to be talking to them and sharing the experience."īefore departing to hitch a brief ride on Endeavour's crawler-transporter, Johnson said he was pleased to see "lots of moms, lots of dads" viewing the shuttle's rollout. "Those are the people who have sweated over Endeavour for the last two decades and they are the people who have enabled us to be here tonight," said Gregory H. ![]() ![]() The shuttle Endeavour heads for pad 39A late Thursday. Powerful spotlights illuminated Endeavour as a squat crawler-transporter carried it past hundreds of Kennedy Space Center workers who turned out to witness what should be the orbiter's last trip to the pad. The 3.2-mile trip from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the ocean-side launch pad began at 7:55 p.m. KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL-With the shuttle Discovery just back from its 39th and final space flight Wednesday, the shuttle Endeavour was hauled to launch pad 39A overnight Thursday for work to ready the ship for blastoff April 19 on its 25th and final voyage. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |