[sarex] ORBITORS ON THE MOVE

[Arthur Rowe]

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C 331468

    Orbiters on the Move: Atlantis Heads Home as Endeavour Prepares for 
Mission STS-118

Space Shuttle Endeavour rolls to the Vehicle Assembly Building Image 
above: After leaving the Orbiter Processing Facility Endeavour rolls to 
the Vehicle Assembly Building. The mission will be Endeavour's first 
flight in more than four years. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton
+ View Larger Image 
<http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/170421main_rollover.jpg>

07.02.07 12:00 p.m. EDT
Orbiter Atlantis is one step closer to Kennedy Space Center this morning 
after a refueling stop at Fort Campbell, Ky. Mounted atop a modified 747 
jetliner called the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, Atlantis is on its way 
back to Florida after landing June 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., 
concluding the STS-117 mission.

At Fort Campbell, the ferry flight crew received a weather briefing and 
a determination was made to remain there overnight. Atlantis could 
arrive at the Florida spaceport on Tuesday if weather conditions permit.

Meanwhile, processing for the next mission, STS-118, continues at 
Kennedy. Orbiter Endeavour arrived inside the Vehicle Assembly Building 
this morning after a short roll from the nearby Orbiter Processing 
Facility. In the assembly building's transfer aisle, Endeavour will be 
lifted vertically, transferred to a high bay and attached to its 
external tank and solid rocket boosters.

The STS-118 mission will deliver the S5 truss to the International Space 
Station and will mark the first flight of an educator astronaut, Mission 
Specialist Barbara Morgan. Launch is targeted for Aug. 7.