The countdown to space shuttle Endeavour’s launch is currently underway, again. The clocks started counting down on time at 7 a.m. on Friday morning.
Launch teams are not working any issues that would delay liftoff on Monday, May 16 at 8:56 a.m.
Technicians at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39A are preparing to load the power reactant storage device (PRSD) and Endeavour’s external fuel tank with propellants.
The STS-134 crew woke up at 1 a.m. to continue launch preparations. Commander Mark Kelly and Pilot Greg H. Johnson performed practice shuttle landings this morning in their Shuttle Training Aircraft.
Endeavour’s launch was scrubbed on April 29, because of an issu associated with auxiliary power heaters. Shortly after the aborted launch, a new launch date of May 10 had been set, but that was later postponed.
Initially planned as a 14-day mission, Endeavour’s STS-134 mission to the International Space Station will now be 16 days. During the mission, Endeavour’s crew will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and spare parts including two S-band communications antennas and a high-pressure gas tank.
In addition to Commander Kelly and Pilot Johnson, the Endeavour’s other crew members are Mission Specialists Michael Fincke, Greg Chamitoff, Andrew Feustel and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori.
