spacetoday.net: "Rescue" shuttle rolled out to pad

Posted: Sat, Apr 18, 2009, 9:38 AM ET (1338 GMT)
STS-127: rollout of Endeavour (NASA/KSC)

NASA moved the space shuttle Endeavour out to its launch pad early Friday so that it is in place to serve as a "rescue shuttle" if needed for the next servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. Endeavour, attached to its external tank and solid rocket boosters, left the Vehicle Assembly Building at 11:57 pm EDT Thursday (0357 GMT Friday) and arrived at Pad 39B at 6:15 am EDT (1015 GMT) Friday. Endeavour was moved to the pad so that it would be ready to mount a rescue mission should Atlantis run into problems on the STS-125 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope, scheduled for launch on May 12. If that rescue mission isn't needed, Endeavour will be prepared for the STS-127 mission to the International Space Station scheduled for launch in mid-June. This is expected to be the last time two shuttles are occupying launch pads simultaneously before the shuttle fleet is retired in 2010.