Shuttle Endeavour's Final Rollout Delayed, Crew Q&A Cancelled
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Endeavour's move to its launch
pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida has been postponed at
least 24 hours because of potential lightning and storms in the area.
As a result, Wednesday night's question-and-answer session with the
next shuttle crew has been cancelled.
Managers will meet Thursday morning to assess weather conditions and
determine if Endeavour will move out of the Vehicle Assembly Building
at 8 p.m. EST on Thursday, March 10. NASA Television plans to provide
live coverage of the rollout's beginning.
There will be an 8 p.m. photo opportunity of the rollout to Launch Pad
39A. Interviews with Endeavour Flow Director Dana Hutcherson will
begin at 8:30 p.m., but will not be shown on NASA TV. NASA also will
provide a sunrise photo opportunity at the launch pad following
Endeavour's early morning arrival.
STS-133 mission badges are valid for all rollout activities and the
media event on Thursday, March 10, to highlight Endeavour's cargo.
During the 1 p.m. event at Kennedy's Space Station Processing
Facility, reporters will have the opportunity to speak with managers
and team members involved in processing the Alpha Magnetic
Spectrometer, a particle physics detector designed to increase our
understanding of the universe.
Reporters who applied for the STS-134 rollout events may begin picking
up their badges starting at 6 a.m. on March 10 at the Kennedy Space
Center Badging Office on State Road 405. Updates for events are
available at 321-867-2525.
Endeavour's six astronauts are targeted to launch aboard the shuttle
on April 19. The STS-134 mission to the International Space Station
is the final scheduled flight for Endeavour before it is retired.
NASA TV's Video File will broadcast highlights of the rollout. For
NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
For more information about the STS-134 mission and crew, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_
Source: NASA