Due to weather conditions, NASA delayed the scheduled rollout of Atlantis to Launch Pad 39B until late Monday evening. The launch window for the next shuttle mission, designated as STS-115, opens Aug. 27.
The Atlantis crew is due to spend 11 days in space installing the integrated P3/P4 truss segment on the International Space Station, which along with its two large solar arrays will provide one-fourth of the total power generation capability of the facility when it is completed.
Meanwhile, the astronauts and ground crews for STS-115 will participate in a full launch dress rehearsal Aug. 7 to Aug. 10 at Kennedy Space Center.
The test will provide the crew with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency egress training.
Atlantis, now fully assembled, will be moved via the huge crawler transporter and delivered to the pad in a process that takes about six hours.
The STS-115 mission launch window will run through Sept. 7. After that, a launch would conflict with a Soyuz mission scheduled to fly to the ISS in mid-September.
The STS-115 crew consists of commander Brent W. Jett Jr., pilot Christopher J. Ferguson, mission specialists Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper, Joseph R. Tanner, Daniel C. Burbank and Steven G. MacLean, who represents the Canadian Space Agency.
