The last astronaut crew expected to fly shuttle Atlantis is due at Kennedy Space Center tonight ahead of Friday's planned 2:20 p.m. launch to the International Space Station. Mission commander Ken Ham, pilot Tony Antonelli and mission specialists Steve Bowen, Mike Good, Garrett Reisman and Piers Sellers should arrive from Houston around 7 p.m. in T-38 jets.
At launch pad 39A, two dozen orbiter tanks holding gasses that pressurize shuttle propulsion systems are being brought up to full flight pressure.
Also today, the shuttle's payload bay doors will be opened so the astronauts can perform a walkdown on Tuesday of their mission's payload -- a Russian module and a palette of spare parts for the station.
Click here for a complete NASA press kit with more background on the planned 12-day mission.
At the station this morning, a Russian cargo module departed. The move frees up a port that a Soyuz spacecraft will move to Wednesday, freeing up another port for installation of the Mini Research Module-1 that Atlantis will bring to the outpost.
IMAGE: Attired in training versions of their shuttle launch and entry suits on April 8, the STS-132 crew members took a break for a portrait in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Ken Ham, commander, holds the STS-132 mission logo. Also pictured (from the left) are Piers Sellers, Garrett Reisman, both mission specialists; Tony Antonelli, pilot; Michael Good and Steve Bowen, both mission specialists.
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