Space shuttle Atlantis, secured to the yellow framework of a sling, is suspended vertically over the transfer aisle in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Next, Atlantis will be lifted over a transom and lowered onto a mobile launcher platform in High Bay 1 where it will be attached to an external fuel tank and pair of solid rocket boosters.
Rollout of the completed shuttle stack to Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39A, a significant milestone in launch processing activities, is planned for Oct. 13. Liftoff of Atlantis on its STS-129 mission to the International Space Station is targeted for 4:04 p.m. EST Nov. 12 during a 10-minute launch window. For information on the STS-129 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts129/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
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