KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL - Braving sub-freezing temperatures, workers at Kennedy Space Center rolled space shuttle Endeavour to the launch pad yesterday as NASA gears up for the first shuttle mission of 2010 and the last year of operations before the fleet is retired. Endeavour is targeted for liftoff on February 7 at 4:39 a.m. EST on what is currently the last scheduled night launch of the shuttle program.
FREE VIDEOS: WATCH VIDEO: TIMELAPSE VIDEO OF ENDEAVOUR ROLLOUT WATCH VIDEO: HIGHLIGHTS OF ENDEAVOUR ROLLOUT TO LC-39A WATCH VIDEO: TRANQUILITY NODE MEDIA EVENT WATCH VIDEO: HIGHLIGHTS OF ENDEAVOUR ROLLOVER FROM OPF TO VAB WATCH VIDEO: PREFLIGHT INTVERVIEW - CDR GEORGE ZAMKA WATCH VIDEO: PREFLIGHT INTVERVIEW - PT TERRY VIRTS WATCH VIDEO: PREFLIGHT INTVERVIEW - MS KATHRYN HIRE WATCH VIDEO: PREFLIGHT INTVERVIEW - MS NICHOLAS PATRICK WATCH VIDEO: PREFLIGHT INTVERVIEW - MS ROBERT BEHNKEN WATCH VIDEO: PREFLIGHT INTVERVIEW - MS STEPHEN ROBINSON ALL-ACCESS SUBSCRIBERS: DOWNLOAD VIDEO: ENDEAVOUR ROLLOUT, PART 3 DOWNLOAD VIDEO: ENDEAVOUR ROLLOUT, PART 2 DOWNLOAD VIDEO: ENDEAVOUR ROLLOUT, PART 1 DOWNLOAD VIDEO: TIMELAPSE VIDEO OF ENDEAVOUR ROLLOUT DOWNLOAD VIDEO: HIGHLIGHTS OF ENDEAVOUR ROLLOUT TO LC-39A DOWNLOAD VIDEO: TRANQUILITY NODE MEDIA EVENT DOWNLOAD VIDEO: HIGHLIGHTS OF ENDEAVOUR ROLLOVER FROM OPF TO VAB DOWNLOAD VIDEO: ENDEAVOUR ROLLOVER TO VAB - PART 2 DOWNLOAD VIDEO: ENDEAVOUR ROLLOVER TO VAB - PART 1 DOWNLOAD VIDEO: PREFLIGHT INTVERVIEW - CDR GEORGE ZAMKA DOWNLOAD VIDEO: PREFLIGHT INTVERVIEW - PT TERRY VIRTS DOWNLOAD VIDEO: PREFLIGHT INTVERVIEW - MS KATHRYN HIRE DOWNLOAD VIDEO: PREFLIGHT INTVERVIEW - MS NICHOLAS PATRICK DOWNLOAD VIDEO: PREFLIGHT INTVERVIEW - MS ROBERT BEHNKEN DOWNLOAD VIDEO: PREFLIGHT INTVERVIEW - MS STEPHEN ROBINSON Mounted on top of the mobile launch platform, Endeavour was hauled to launch pad 39-A by one of NASA's giant crawler-transporters. The stack left the Vehicle Assembly Building at 4:13 a.m. EST to begin the six and a half hour, 3.4 mile journey to the launch pad. Passing frozen puddles and streams along the way, the shuttle arrived at the perimeter of the launch complex by 8:45 and was secured to the concrete launch pad at 10:37 a.m. The next major prelaunch event will be the Terminal Countdown Demonstration test. The six astronauts who will fly Endeavour's STS-130 mission will fly to KSC on January 19 at 6 p.m. EST to take part in three days of emergency training drills and a mock countdown during which they will be strapped into Endeavour's cabin while the team in the Launch Control Center conducts a full-scale dress-rehearsal of the shuttle's launch countdown. The mock coutndown will culminate with a simulated on-pad abort at T-4 seconds and emergency evacuation of the orbiter by the astronauts. The crew will fly back to Johnson Space Center in Houston following the conclusion of TCDT on January 21. Commander George Zamka will lead the STS-130 mission to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Endeavour. Terry Virts will serve as the pilot. Mission Specialists are Nicholas Patrick, Robert Behnken, Stephen Robinson and Kathryn Hire. Virts will be making his first trip to space. The primary objective of the STS-130 mission is to deliver a third connecting module, Tranquility, and a cupola "observation deck" to the space station. Tranquility is the final U.S. module to be added to the orbiting complex, whose construction is now virtually complete. Meanwhile, the shuttle continues to be sheltered from the Space Coast's uncharacteristically cold temperatures with heaters and warm air purges. This process will keep the spacecraft's systems at an appropriate temperature. Although processing of the vehicle is continuing smoothly, Endeavour's launch date faces a potential delay due to suspect ammonia lines that will be used to connect Tranquility to the International Space Station's cooling system. A high-pressure ammonia jumper hose assembly failed during a prelaunch test Thursday. Four such hoses are to be installed and activated by spacewalkers during the STS-130 mission. (The Spacearium / Space Media Corporation)
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