14 DAY TRIAL // The space shuttle Atlantis has reached the Launch Pad 29A facility at the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida. Now safely attached to its support structure, the spacecraft is being prepared for its final launch. This will also be the last launch in the Space Shuttle Program (SSP).
The STS-135 mission will feature a crew of only four astronauts. Their job will be to deliver space parts, scientific experiments, and personal items for the Expedition 28 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
There are no spacewalks planned for this flight, officials at NASA say. The astronauts on Endeavour already carried out the last extravehicular activity of the SSP a few days ago, before the orbiter landed.
At this point, Atlantis is scheduled to launch on July 8, and to spend about 12 days in space. During its stay on the ISS, a spacewalk will take place, but it will be conducted by the Expedition 28 crew.
According to NASA statistics, this will be the 37th ISS-bound flight carried by a space shuttle, and also the 135th and last shuttle mission ever. There are several payloads that the orbiter will be carrying.
The first is the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) Raffaello, which will contain 16 racks filled with supplies. This is the maximum amount of cargo it can carry. The MPLM will occupy most of Atlantis' cargo bay.
Alongside the module, NASA also placed the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Carrier (LMC), whose sole purpose is to provide an environment for delivering the External Thermal Cooling System (ETCS) Pump Module (PM) that failed in 2010 back to Earth, for analysis.
The most important experiment on Atlantis will be the Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM). Its goal will be to demonstrate that it's possible to refuel satellites mid-flight, using only robotic means.
The demonstrator was designed and built by experts with the Satellite Servicing Capabilities project, at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), in Greenbelt, Maryland.
NASA has also released a timeline for the milestones awaiting the shuttle until the launch:
1.June 20: STS-135 crew arrival; 2.June 21: Discovery Media Day; 3.June 22: STS-135 crew media availability; 4.June 23: STS-135 crew walkout photo opportunity.
Atlantis was affixed to its launch pad at 3:29 am EDT (0729 GMT) on Wednesday, June 1. The rollout maneuver began at 8:42 pm EDT Tuesday (0042 GMT Wednesday), and took more than usual because the Crawler Transporter vehicle suffered an oil leak.