Atlantis Crew Preps For Mission to Hubble

Astronauts Prepare for Countdown Rehearsal

On Wednesday morning, the STS-125 astronauts will suit up in their orange launch-and-entry suits, ride to the launch pad aboard the Astrovan, and climb into space shuttle Atlantis for a countdown dress rehearsal. This countdown practice caps three days of standard prelaunch exercises for the crew at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

After meeting with members of the news media Tuesday morning, the astronauts trained for emergency egress at the launch pad. During their first day of activities, the crew members practiced driving the M-113 armored personnel carrier as part of their emergency training procedures. Commander Scott Altman and Pilot Gregory Johnson flew simulated landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft.

Following the launch dress rehearsal, the astronauts will return to their home base at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to continue training for their mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.

Image above: STS-125 Mission Specialist Megan McArthur participates in emergency egress training at Launch Pad 39A.
Image credit: NASA

While the astronauts’ activities are centered at Launch Pad 39A, space shuttle Endeavour is nearby at Launch Pad 39B where it will be on standby in the unlikely event that a rescue mission for the Atlantis's crew would be necessary. After Endeavour is cleared from its duty as a rescue vehicle, workers will move it to pad 39A in preparation for liftoff on mission STS-126 to the International Space Station in November.

Source : NASA