Atlantis Rollback Targeted Oct. 20

Atlantis is tentatively scheduled to return to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Oct. 20, allowing Endeavour to take over launch pad 39A five days later.

This weekend, workers will begin undoing electrical connections between Atlantis and the highly sensitive cargo it will take to the Hubble Space Telescope early next year.

A technical failure on the telescope last weekend forced postponement of the mission - previously set to launch Oct. 14 from Kennedy Space Center - until February at the earliest.

The Hubble payload is expected on be transferred Tuesday from Atlantis' payload bay to the changeout room at pad 39A, where it will be readied for its trip back to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility a week later.

The cargo, contained in four carriers, must be carefully bagged to prevent contamination while it is transported in a giant canister.

"The Hubble payload is an order of magnitude more sensitive to contamination than a space station payload, so extra precautions are necessary," said George Diller, a space center spokesman.

If payload processing goes according to schedule, Atlantis would be rolled back to the assembly building Oct. 20 on its mobile launch platform, reversing the 3.5-mile journey it made to the launch pad on Sept. 4.

Then, on Oct. 25, Endeavour would be moved about a mile south from pad 39B to take Atlantis' place on 39A.

Endeavour's launch on a space station outfitting mission is targeted for Nov. 16, though shuttle managers think they could be ready by Nov. 14.

Officials will continue to review plans for the shuttle moves Friday and could make adjustments.

IMAGE NOTE: Click to enlarge the image above. On Sept. 4, shuttle Atlantis rolled along the crawlerway toward launch pad 39A, in the background, after leaving the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center. A water truck sprays the crawlerway to minimize dust. The shuttle stack, with solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank attached to Atlantis, rest on the mobile launcher platform. Movement is provided by the crawler-transporter underneath. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett