Tight Fit
Inside the giant Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician closely monitors the movement of space shuttle Endeavour as it is lowered into high bay 1 where its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters wait below.
After additional preparations are made, the shuttle will be rolled out to Launch Pad 39B. Endeavour is designated the standby rescue vehicle for space shuttle Atlantis’ STS-125 mission to NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. After Atlantis has safely returned from its flight, Endeavour will be moved to Launch Pad 39A for its STS-126 mission to the International Space Station.
Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Sept. 11, 2008