Space shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on Monday, Feb. 18, as preparations move forward for the STS-123 mission. Endeavour is targeted to lift off March 11 on a 16-day mission to the International Space Station.
The first motion of the shuttle out of Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building is scheduled for 7 a.m. EST. The fully assembled space shuttle, consisting of the orbiter, external tank and twin solid rocket boosters, will be mounted on a mobile launcher platform and delivered to the pad on top of a crawler transporter. The crawler will travel slower than 1 mph during the 3.4-mile journey. The process is expected to take approximately six hours.
NASA Television’s media channel will air live coverage of Endeavour’s rollout to the launch pad beginning at 6:30 a.m. Live coverage of space shuttle Atlantis’ STS-122 mission will continue to air on NASA TV’s public channel. Video highlights of the rollout will air on the NASA TV Video File. Media are invited to a photo opportunity of the shuttle’s move to the pad and an interview opportunity with Endeavour Flow Director Ken Tenbusch at 8 a.m. Monday. Dates and times of this event are subject to change. Updates are available by calling 321-867-2525.
Media must arrive at Kennedy’s News Center by 6 a.m. Monday for transportation to the viewing area. Foreign news media accreditation for this event is closed. Foreign media with credentials must arrive at the Pass and Identification Building on State Road 3 by 6 a.m. for transportation to the News Center. U.S. media without permanent Kennedy Space Center credentials must apply for accreditation online by 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov/
Media must pick up badges by 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15, at the Pass and Identification Building on State Road 405.
The mission will deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency’s two-armed robotic system, Dextre. Five spacewalks will be conducted during the flight.
Dominic Gorie will command the mission. Gregory H. Johnson will be the pilot. Robert L. Behnken, Mike Foreman, Rick Linnehan, Garrett Reisman and Japanese astronaut Takao Doi make up the rest of the crew. Reisman will remain on the station as a resident crew member, replacing station Flight Engineer Leopold Eyharts of the European Space Agency, who will return home on Endeavour. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:
For more information about the STS-123 mission and crew, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts123/index.html
