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Kennedy Space Center, Florida – December 5, 2007 – The launch team at NASA's Kennedy Space Center is continuing its steady march toward a lift off Thursday afternoon for space shuttle Atlantis. The countdown is proceeding smoothly, NASA Test Director Jeff Spaulding said Wednesday.
Mission STS-122 is scheduled to launch at 4:31 p.m. EST from NASA's Florida launch base. Atlantis will carry the European-developed Columbus laboratory and attach it to the International Space Station. Seven astronauts, including two from the European Space Agency, will fly aboard Atlantis.
Technicians and engineers at the launch pad have several steps ahead of them Wednesday. The most visible milestone will come in the evening when the Rotating Service Structure is moved to its launch position where it will be out of the way of Atlantis. The gantry encloses much of the shuttle while it is on the launch pad and gives workers access to critical areas of the shuttle and its payload.
The weather forecast calls for a 90 percent chance of acceptable conditions at launch time.
"The vehicle's looking good and the weather's looking good, too," Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters said.
Gathered in the White Room on Launch Pad 39A, the crew members of Atlantis pause for a photo. Standing are Alan Poindexter (left), Steve Frick and Leland Melvin. Kneeling is Hans Schlegel. In the bottom row are Stanley Love (left), Rex Walheim and Léopold Eyharts. Schlegel and Eyharts are with the European Space Agency. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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A technician monitors the closure of the payload bay doors on space shuttle Atlantis during launch preparations at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The European-built Columbus laboratory is bolted inside the cargo bay and will be attached to the International Space Station during mission STS-122. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton.
The STS‐122 patch depicts the continuation of the voyages of the early explorers to today’s frontier, space. The ship denotes the travels of the early expeditions from the East to the West. The space shuttle shows the continuation of that journey along the orbital path from West to East. A little more than 500 years after Columbus sailed to the new world, the STS‐122 crew will bring the Columbus European laboratory module to the International Space Station to usher in a new era of scientific exploration
More Information
STS-122 Home Page
STS-122 Mission Timeline
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