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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A darkening cloud overhead keeps vigil as Space Shuttle Atlantis moves away from Launch Pad 39B on its rollback to the Vehicle Assembly Building. At right are the rotating and fixed service structures. First motion off the pad was at 10:04 a.m. EDT. The crawler is 131 feet long, 113 feet wide and 20 feet high. It weights 5.5 million pounds unloaded. The combined weight of crawler, mobile launcher platform and a space shuttle is 12 million pounds. Unloaded, the crawler moves at 2 mph. Loaded, the snail's pace slows to 1 mph. The rollback is a safety precaution as the area waits for the arrival of Tropical Storm Ernesto. The storm is forecast to be bringing 58-mph to 70-mph winds in the next 24 hours. The shuttle will be moved into high bay 2, on the southwest side of the VAB, for protection from the storm. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley KSC-06pd1982

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the early morning, the payload canister containing the Chandra X-ray Observatory, with umbilical hoses still attached, is lifted up the Rotating Service Structure (RSS). The hoses provide a controlled environment during the transfer. The canister arrived at the pad on the payload canister transporter below it. The canister will be lifted up to the Payload Changeout Room in the RSS where it will be relieved of its cargo. After the RSS rotates to a position behind Space Shuttle Columbia (at right), the observatory will then be installed vertically in the orbiter payload bay. The world's most powerful X-ray telescope, Chandra will allow scientists from around the world to see previously invisible black holes and high-temperature gas clouds, giving the observatory the potential to rewrite the books on the structure and evolution of our universe. Chandra is the primary payload on mission STS-93, scheduled to launch no earlier than July 20 aboard Space Shuttle Columbia (right) KSC-99pp0770

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour begins rolling off Launch Pad 39B for the 3.4-mile rollaround to Launch Pad 39A. First motion was at 8:28 a.m. EDT. To the left is the open rotating service structure with the Payload Changeout Room and the fixed service structure with the 80-foot-tall lightning mast on top. Endeavour is targeted to launch Nov. 14 on the STS-126 mission. On this 27th mission to the International Space Station, Endeavour will carry the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier and the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo that will hold supplies and equipment, including additional crew quarters, additional exercise equipment, spare hardware and equipment for the regenerative life support system. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-08pd3331

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Atlantis is revealed on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida following the move of the rotating service structure (RSS). The structure provides weather protection and access to the shuttle while it awaits liftoff on the pad. RSS "rollback" marks a major milestone in Atlantis' STS-135 mission countdown. Atlantis and its crew of four; Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim, are scheduled to lift off at 11:26 a.m. EDT on July 8 to deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts to the International Space Station. Atlantis also will fly the Robotic Refueling Mission experiment that will investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing satellites in orbit. In addition, Atlantis will return with a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts135/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder KSC-2011-5149

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crawler-transporter keeps space shuttle Endeavour level as it travels up the five percent grade to the base of Launch Pad 39A. First motion on the 3.4-mile trip from the Vehicle Assembly Building, known as rollout, was at 4:13 a.m. EST Jan. 6. Endeavour was secure or "hard down" on the pad at 10:37 a.m. Rollout is a significant milestone in launch processing activities. The primary payload for the STS-130 mission is the International Space Station's Node 3, Tranquility, a pressurized module that will provide room for many of the station's life support systems. Attached to one end of Tranquility is a cupola, a unique work area with six windows on its sides and one on top. The cupola resembles a circular bay window and will provide a vastly improved view of the station's exterior. The multi-directional view will allow the crew to monitor spacewalks and docking operations, as well as provide a spectacular view of Earth and other celestial objects. The module was built in Turin, Italy, by Thales Alenia Space for the European Space Agency. Endeavour's STS-130 launch is targeted for 4:39 a.m. EST Feb. 7. For information on the STS-130 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts130/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller KSC-2010-1036

STS117-S-005 (8 June 2007) --- The Space Shuttle Atlantis and its seven-member STS-117 crew sits on launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center during launch countdown. Onboard are astronauts Rick Sturckow, commander; Lee Archambault, pilot; Jim Reilly, Patrick Forrester, John "Danny" Olivas, Steven Swanson and Clayton Anderson, all mission specialists. Anderson will join Expedition 15 in progress to serve as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station. STS117-S-005

STS-127 - LAUNCH - Public domain NASA photogrpaph

STS-127 - LAUNCH - Public domain NASA photogrpaph

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The rotating service structure (left) on Launch Pad 39B is ready to roll away from Space Shuttle Atlantis in preparation for launch. The RSS provides protected access to the orbiter for changeout and servicing of payloads at the pad and then is rolled away before liftoff. Atlantis is scheduled to launch Sept. 6 at 12:29 p.m. EDT on mission STS-115. During the mission, Atlantis' astronauts will deliver and install the 17.5-ton, bus-sized P3/P4 integrated truss segment on the station. The girder-like truss includes a set of giant solar arrays, batteries and associated electronics and will provide one-fourth of the total power-generation capability for the completed station. This mission is the 116th space shuttle flight, the 27th flight for orbiter Atlantis, and the 19th U.S. flight to the International Space Station. STS-115 is scheduled to last 11 days with a planned KSC landing at about 8:03 a.m. EDT on Sept. 17. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton KSC-06pd2037

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The Space Shuttle Atlantis in full launch configuration is reflected in water around Launch Pad 39A as the Rotating Service Structure (RSS) is rotated back to the park position. Rollback of the RSS is a major preflight milestone, typically occurring during the T-11-hour hold on L-1 (the day before launch). Atlantis and its crew of seven are in final preparations for liftoff on Mission STS-84, the sixth of nine planned dockings of the Space Shuttle with the Russian Space Station Mir. Launch is scheduled at about 4:08 a.m. during an approximately 7-minute launch window. The exact liftoff time will be determined about 90 minutes prior to launch, based on the most current location of Mir KSC-97pc786

News media representatives watch and record as the Space Shuttle Atlantis in full launch configuration is revealed after the Rotating Service Structure (RSS) is rotated back at Launch Pad 39A. Rollback of the RSS is a major preflight milestone, typically occurring during the T-11-hour hold on L-1 (the day before launch). Atlantis and its crew of seven are in final preparations for liftoff on Mission STS-84, the sixth of nine planned dockings of the Space Shuttle with the Russian Space Station Mir. Launch is scheduled at about 4:08 a.m. during an approximately 7-minute launch window. The exact liftoff time will be determined about 90 minutes prior to launch, based on the most current location of Mir KSC-97pc787

The Space Shuttle Atlantis is poised for liftoff on the STS-86 mission from Launch Pad 39A. Now that the Rotating Service Structure is rolled back, one of the final prelaunch milestones will be the loading of the external tank with approximately 500,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to fuel the three main engines. STS-86 is slated to be the seventh docking of the Space Shuttle with the Russian Space Station Mir. Liftoff is targeted for Sept. 25 at 10:34 p.m. EDT during a preferred launch window which lasts six minutes and 45 seconds. Seven crew members will lift off for the scheduled 10-day flight. One of those crew members, David A. Wolf, will transfer to the Mir for an approximate four-month stay. He will replace U.S. astronaut C. Michael Foale, who will return to Earth with the remainder of the STS-86 crew. Foale has been on the Russian space station since mid-May KSC-97PC1417

With the Rotating Service Structure rolled back, at left, the Space Shuttle Atlantis undergoes final prelaunch preparations at Launch Pad 39A for the STS-86 mission. One of the final steps will be to load the external tank with approximately 500,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen for fueling the orbiter’s three main engines. STS-86 is slated to be the seventh docking of the Space Shuttle with the Russian Space Station Mir. Liftoff is targeted for Sept. 25 at 10:34 p.m. EDT during a preferred launch window which lasts six minutes and 45 seconds. Seven crew members will lift off for the scheduled 10-day flight. One of those crew members, David A. Wolf, will transfer to the Mir for an approximate four-month stay. He will replace U.S. astronaut C. Michael Foale, who will return to Earth with the remainder of the STS86 crew. Foale has been on the Russian space station since mid-May KSC-97PC1418

With the Rotating Service Structure rolled back, at left, the Space Shuttle Atlantis undergoes final prelaunch preparations at Launch Pad 39A for the STS-86 mission. One of the final steps will be to load the external tank with approximately 500,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen for fueling the orbiter’s three main engines. STS-86 is slated to be the seventh docking of the Space Shuttle with the Russian Space Station Mir. Liftoff is targeted for Sept. 25 at 10:34 p.m. EDT during a preferred launch window which lasts six minutes and 45 seconds. Seven crew members will lift off for the scheduled 10-day flight. One of those crew members, David A. Wolf, will transfer to the Mir for an approximate four-month stay. He will replace U.S. astronaut C. Michael Foale, who will return to Earth with the remainder of the STS86 crew. Foale has been on the Russian space station since mid-May KSC-97PC1416

With the Rotating Service Structure (RSS) rolled back, at left, the Space Shuttle Columbia is nearly ready for launch of STS-90. Rollback of the RSS is a major preflight milestone, typically occurring during the T-11-hour hold on L-1 (the day before launch). The scheduled launch of Columbia on Apr. 16 from Launch Pad 39B was postponed 24 hours due to difficulty with network signal processor No. 2 on the orbiter. This device formats data and voice communications between the ground and the Space Shuttle. The unit, which is located in the orbiter's mid-deck, will be removed and replaced. Prior to launch, one of the final steps will be to load the external tank with approximately 500,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen for fueling the orbiters three main engines. Tanking had not yet begun when the launch scheduled for Apr. 16 was scrubbed. STS-90 is slated to be the launch of Neurolab, a nearly 17-day mission to examine the effects of spaceflight on the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves and sensory organs in the human body KSC-39b

The STS-95 Space Shuttle Discovery sits on the Mobile Launch Platform, still atop the crawler transporter, at Launch Pad 39B, after its 4.2-mile, 6-hour trek from the Vehicle Assembly Building. On its left is the Fixed Service Structure that provides access to the orbiter and the Rotating Service Structure. Beyond the orbiter is seen the Atlantic Ocean. While at the launch pad, the orbiter, external tank and solid rocket boosters will undergo final preparations for the launch, scheduled to lift off Oct. 29. The mission includes research payloads such as the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process KSC-98pc1109

A wide-angle view of the Space Shuttle Atlantis as it stands ready inside the Vehicle Assembly Building for rollout to Launch Pad 39A. It sits on top of a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP), a two-story steel structure 25 feet high, which supports and restrains the Shuttle during assembly, transit and while at the pad. The MLP weighs 8.23 million pounds. The entire configuration of Shuttle plus MLP is moved to the pad aboard a crawler-transporter. Liftoff of Atlantis on mission STS-101 is scheduled for April 17 at 7:03 p.m. EDT. STS-101 is a logistics and resupply mission for the International Space Station, to restore full redundancy to the International Space Station power system in preparation for the arrival of the next pressurized module, the Russian-built Zvezda KSC00pp0403

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, Space Shuttle Atlantis stands ready for rollout to Launch Pad 39A. It sits on top of a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP), a two-story steel structure 25 feet high, which supports and restrains the Shuttle during assembly, transit and while at the pad. The MLP weighs 8.23 million pounds. The entire configuration of Shuttle plus MLP is moved to the pad aboard a crawler-transporter. Liftoff of Atlantis on mission STS-101 is scheduled for April 17 at 7:03 p.m. EDT. STS-101 is a logistics and resupply mission for the International Space Station, to restore full redundancy to the International Space Station power system in preparation for the arrival of the next pressurized module, the Russian-built Zvezda KSC00pp0404

The Rotating Service Structure (RSS) at Launch Pad 39A is rotated back, revealing the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis with its external tank and twin solid rocket boosters in full launch configuration. Rollback of the RSS is a major preflight milestone, typically occurring during the T-11-hour hold on L-1 (the day before launch). Atlantis and its crew of seven are in final preparations for liftoff on Mission STS-84, the sixth of nine planned dockings of the Space Shuttle with the Russian Space Station Mir. Launch is scheduled at about 4:08 a.m. during an approximately 7-minute launch window. The exact liftoff time will be determined about 90 minutes prior to launch, based on the most current location of Mir KSC-97pc785

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The Rotating Service Structure (RSS) at Launch Pad 39A is rotated back, revealing the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis with its external tank and twin solid rocket boosters in full launch configuration. Rollback of the RSS is a major preflight milestone, typically occurring during the T-11-hour hold on L-1 (the day before launch). Atlantis and its crew of seven are in final preparations for liftoff on Mission STS-84, the sixth of nine planned dockings of the Space Shuttle with the Russian Space Station Mir. Launch is scheduled at about 4:08 a.m. during an approximately 7-minute launch window. The exact liftoff time will be determined about 90 minutes prior to launch, based on the most current location of Mir

The Space Shuttle program was the United States government's manned launch vehicle program from 1981 to 2011, administered by NASA and officially beginning in 1972. The Space Shuttle system—composed of an orbiter launched with two reusable solid rocket boosters and a disposable external fuel tank— carried up to eight astronauts and up to 50,000 lb (23,000 kg) of payload into low Earth orbit (LEO). When its mission was complete, the orbiter would re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and lands as a glider. Although the concept had been explored since the late 1960s, the program formally commenced in 1972 and was the focus of NASA's manned operations after the final Apollo and Skylab flights in the mid-1970s. It started with the launch of the first shuttle Columbia on April 12, 1981, on STS-1. and finished with its last mission, STS-135 flown by Atlantis, in July 2011.

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kennedy space center service structure rss launch pad orbiter atlantis space shuttle orbiter atlantis tank rocket boosters rocket boosters configuration rollback preflight milestone preflight milestone crew preparations liftoff sts mission sts dockings space shuttle russian mir russian space station mir liftoff time minutes mir ksc space shuttle on launch pad high resolution launch mission sts 84 t 11 hour l 1 mir ksc 97 pc 785 window space station nasa
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Date

14/05/1997
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Space Shuttle Program
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Location

Kennedy Space Center / Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Fire Station 2 ,  28.52650, -80.67093
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NASA
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https://images.nasa.gov/
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Public Domain Dedication (CC0)

label_outline Explore Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis, Dockings, Mir Ksc

20 INCH FAN ENGINE MODEL BELLMOUTH CONFIGURATION - ACOUSTIC MUFFLER

J-85 F-106 AIRPLANE SPIKE INLET 40-60 TAKE OFF CONFIGURATION AT HANGAR APRON QUIET ENGINE SITE

GENERAL ELECTRIC GE AND BB&N TEST CONFIGURATION INST SCOOP AND MICROPHONE BOOM ARRAY

STS074-718-056 - STS-074 - Mir space station as seen from shuttle Atlantis

An F-4 Phantom II aircraft shows one angle of its weapon configuration while atop a pedestal at the Rome Air Development Center's Newport test site. The aircraft's antennas are being evaluated during the test

STS074-321-019 - STS-074 - View of the nose of the shuttle Atlantis from Mir

STS074-718-074 - STS-074 - Mir space station as seen from shuttle Atlantis

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The payload canister arrives at the Rotating Service Structure (RSS) on Launch Pad 39B. The canister with its cargo of the SPACEHAB module and Integrated Cargo Carrier will be lifted up into the Payload Changeout Room near the top of the RSS for transfer to the payload bay of Shuttle Atlantis for mission STS-106. The PCR provides an environmentally controlled facility for the transfer. The 11-day mission to the International Space Station will include service module support tasks on orbit, transfer supplies and outfit the Space Station for the first long-duration crew. Atlantis is scheduled to launch Sept. 8 at 8:31 a.m. EDT. KSC-00pp1116

Aerial view as US Air Force (USAF) Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Jeffrey "Cobra" Harrigian, Commander, 43rd Fighter Squadron (FS), 325th Fighter Wing (FW), Air Education and Training Command (AETC), Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB), Florida (FL), flies Raptor 01-018, the first of 48 new F/A-22 Raptor`s assigned to Tyndall`s 325th FW. The flight, took place September 26, 2003, is a major milestone and will now enable the 43rd FS to begin formally training pilots to fly this next-generation fighter. The F/A-22 combines stealth, supercruise, maneuverability and many other features enabling a first look, first shot, first kill capability that will provide continued air dominance for generations to come

STS074-718-089 - STS-074 - Mir space station as seen from shuttle Atlantis

STS074-718-087 - STS-074 - Mir space station as seen from shuttle Atlantis

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the rotating service structure (RSS) on Launch Pad 39B is being dismantled. Starting in 2009, the structure at the pad was no longer needed for NASA's Space Shuttle Program, so it is being restructured for future use. The new design will feature a "clean pad" for rockets to come with their own launcher, making it more versatile for a number of vehicles. The new lightning protection system, left, will remain. For information on NASA's future plans, visit www.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin KSC-2010-5249

Topics

kennedy space center service structure rss launch pad orbiter atlantis space shuttle orbiter atlantis tank rocket boosters rocket boosters configuration rollback preflight milestone preflight milestone crew preparations liftoff sts mission sts dockings space shuttle russian mir russian space station mir liftoff time minutes mir ksc space shuttle on launch pad high resolution launch mission sts 84 t 11 hour l 1 mir ksc 97 pc 785 window space station nasa