Workers in the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) Shop at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida attached the second of shuttle Atlantis' three main engines to a Hyster forklift. Next, the engine will be transported to Orbiter Processing Facility-1 where it will be installed in the shuttle. Each engine is 14 feet long, weighs about 6,700 pounds, and is 7.5 feet in diameter at the end of the nozzle. This is the final planned engine installation for the Space Shuttle Program.
Atlantis is being prepared for the "launch on need," or potential rescue mission, for the final planned shuttle flight, Endeavour's STS-134 mission. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett