In the Payload Changeout Room on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the STS-129 crew, dressed in clean room attire known as "bunny suits," take time out from their payload familiarization training for a group portrait. From left are Pilot Barry E. Wilmore and Mission Specialist Randy Bresnik on the top row; and Mission Specialists Robert L. Satcher Jr., Leland Melvin and Mike Foreman; and Commander Charles O. Hobaugh on the bottom row. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:47:40 PM GMT+0000
At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Launch Pad 39A technicians are loading space shuttle Atlantis’ two, mass-memory units today. Located in the middeck’s two avionics bays, each reel-to-reel digital magnetic tape storage device holds basic flight software for the shuttle’s general purpose computers and can store additional data.
Preparations for final ordnance installations and connections at the pad will begin today and are expected to wrap up this weekend.
At NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, the STS-129 mission’s six astronauts will be given their L-10 physicals today. They’ll also practice integrated entry procedures in Johnson’s motion base simulator.
Atlantis is scheduled to launch on its 11-day supply mission to the International Space Station at 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16.
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