Two at the Pad
With two rainbows framing the Launch Complex 39 area in the early morning at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis (foreground) sits on Launch Pad 39A and space shuttle Endeavour on Launch Pad 39B, with both rotating service structures retracted.
The rotating service structures provide protection for weather and access to the shuttle. For the first time since July 2001, two shuttles are on the launch pads at the same time. Endeavour is set for launch on mission STS-126 to the International Space Station, while Atlantis will fly on mission STS-125 to service the Hubble Space Telescope.
Image credit: NASA/Troy Cryder
Sept. 19, 2008