The orbiter Atlantis backed out of its processing hangar and moved into the Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building on Monday, marking a key milestone on the road to the launch pad.Mounted atop a 76-wheel transporter, the orbiter backed out of it Orbiter Processing Facility hangar and made the short move to the transfer aisle in the 52-story assembly building.
Crane operators will hoist the 122-foot-long spaceship over a 16th-floor transom and then lower it onto a mobile launcher platform in High Bay No. 3 of the northeast side of the building.
Atlantis and seven astronauts are scheduled to launch May 12 on a fifth and final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. Spacewalking astronauts will install two new science instruments, attempt to repair two others and then outfit the observatory with new batteries, gyroscopes and other equipment so it can operate another five years in orbit.
Atlantis is scheduled to roll out to launch pad 39A on March 31.
Click Read More below to see the rest of this series of seven photos taken earlier today as the orbiter made its move. You can also click the enlarged images to get even bigger views. Photo credits: NASA/Jack Pfaller.
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