![]() Their sister orbiter, Discovery, is marked for the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Once the orbiters are retired, they will be sent to museums for public display.Įndeavour is bound for the California Science Center in Los Angeles, while Atlantis will go to the Kennedy Space Center's Visitor's Center. However, if Endeavour's mission is delayed much further, NASA has said the Atlantis flight could be pushed back, too. The shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to lift off June 29 for its last journey to the International Space Station. ![]() Wednesday the astronauts met with their flight directors and robotics and spacewalk officers to review plans for their mission.Īfter Endeavour's flight, NASA has only one more space shuttle mission planned. The crew will continue training until a new launch date has been set. Įndeavour's crewmembers returned to Houston, where they live and train, after their launch delay. The STS-134 mission is scheduled to last 14 days, but NASA hopes to add two extra days in orbit to allow the astronauts to complete more work. "Managers will continue to evaluate the repair process and make any additional adjustments before scheduling Endeavour’s next launch attempt, which remains no earlier than May 10," NASA's statement said.Įndeavour is slated to carry six astronauts, an astrophysics experiment, and a shipment of spare parts to the International Space Station. A meeting of top shuttle manager tomorrow (May 6) is expected to end with a new launch target. NASA has not set a new launch date for Endeavour, but mission managers have said the mission will not lift off before May 10. ![]() Follow for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter and on Facebook. You can follow Staff Writer Denise Chow on Twitter. Four spacewalks are planned.Īfter Endeavour's flight, NASA has one more space shuttle mission planned before the end of the program: the June 28 launch of shuttle Atlantis. The shuttle and its crew will also haul a platform packed with spare parts for the orbiting laboratory. They put their time in to be ready to go, that's for sure."Įndeavour is slated to fly its final mission to the International Space Station for a two-week trip to deliver a $2 billion particle detector aimed to study dark matter and other mysteries of the universe. "They don't do anything in their free time other than study their checklists and practice their procedures. "The crews are unbelievably dedicated," Moses said. ![]() "They'll be doing another simulation with their ascent and entry with flight control teams, but it's a light schedule."Īnd while the delay gives the spaceflyers some extra free time, the crew tends to use it to study up for the mission ahead, NASA officials said. "It's just refresher training," NASA spokesperson Kylie Clem told. This week, the STS-134 astronauts - commander Mark Kelly, pilot Gregory Johnson, and mission specialists Michael Fincke, Greg Chamitoff, Andrew Feustel and Roberto Vittori - will practice different procedures in the various shuttle simulators at Johnson Space Center. "The crew reports to a quarantine facility that is on-site at Johnson Space Center – astronaut crew quarters." "The purpose is to stay away from any contagious illnesses that would take a few days to show up and manifest," Moses said. The STS-134 crewmembers will remain in medical quarantine, Moses said, which is standard practice for spaceflyers to help prevent illness. With Endeavour's liftoff delayed by over a week, the astronauts who will fly the orbiter on its final mission have returned to Houston to resume training until their scheduled launch.Įndeavour's six astronauts flew back home to Houston yesterday, said Mike Moses, chair of the shuttle's mission management team, in a press briefing held yesterday (May 1). ![]()
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