11/14/09: Shuttle mission STS-129: launch countdown operations are on schedule.

Mission: STS-129

Orbiter: Atlantis

Launch Pad: 39A

Launch Date: NET Nov 16, 2009, 14:28:09 EST (19:28:09 UT)

Landing: Nov 27, 2009

Main gear touchdown: 09:44:23 EST

Nose gear touchdown: 09:44:36 EST

Wheels stop: 09:45:05 EST

Orbital Altitude: 122 nautical miles (140 miles)

Orbital Insertion: 191 nautical miles (220 miles)

Orbital Inclination: 51.6 degrees

Distance traveled: ~4.5 million miles

Crew:- Commander: Charles O. Hobaugh; Pilot: Barry E. Wilmore; Mission Specialists:- MS1 Leland D Melvin, MS2 Randolph Bresnik, MS3 Michael Foreman, MS4 Robert Satcher, MS5 (landing) Nicole Stott.
Primary Payload: ExPRESS (Expedite the Processing of Experiments to the Space Station) Logistics Carriers ELC1 and ELC2:-

ExPRESS Logistics Carrier-1 manifest:- Ammonia Tank Assembly; Battery Charge Discharge Unit; Space Station Remote Manipulator System Latching End Effector; Control Moment Gyro; Nitrogen Tank Assembly; Pump Module; Plasma Contactor Unit; two empty Passive Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanisms.

ExPRESS Logistics Carrier-2 manifest:- High Pressure Gas Tank; Cargo Transport Container 1 (CTC-1) mounted to a Small Adapter Plate Assembly; Mobile Transporter/Trailing Umbilical System; Control Moment Gyro; Nitrogen Tank Assembly; Pump Module; Utility Transfer Assembly (UTA) Flight Support Equipment (FSE); one empty Payload Passive Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanism.

Launch countdown operations are on schedule with no issues to report, according to officials at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida during the STS-129 prelaunch briefing. With the unfortunate scrub of the Atlas rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station today, space shuttle Atlantis is cleared for launch at 2:28 p.m. EST Monday.

"It was a really smooth meeting … Atlantis is ready to go," Mike Moses, space shuttle launch integration manager said. (There was) "a unanimous vote to proceed with the launch countdown."

Mike Leinbach, space shuttle launch director said, "… We're right on the money. We're not tracking any issues with the vehicle, flight elements or ground systems. I'm happy to report we're ready to go."

Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters reported that the forecast continues to be very favorable for launch day with only a 10-percent chance that weather will be a concern for liftoff and the fueling of Atlantis' external tank.

Weather also is looking good for the transatlantic abort, or TAL sites, where the shuttle could land in the unlikely event of an emergency. The only issue Winters mentioned was the possibility of some high seas where the solid rocket booster recovery ships are stationed.

On Sunday at about 5:30 p.m., the Rotating Service Structure that protects the shuttle from inclement weather will be rolled away. Loading of propellants into the external tank is scheduled to begin at around 5 a.m. on Monday.

The L-1 countdown status briefing will be held at no earlier than 10 a.m. which will be aired on NASA TV and found on the Web at www.nasa.gov/ntv.


Nov 13: At the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-129 Pilot Barry E. Wilmore gets settled in the cockpit of a Shuttle Training Aircraft to practice landings in preparation for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 mission. The Shuttle Training Aircraft is a Gulfstream II jet, modified to handle like the space shuttle. On STS-129, the crew will deliver to the International Space Station two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Launch is set for Nov. 16. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett


Nov 13: At Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the payload for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 mission to the International Space Station, including the Express Logistics Carriers 1 and 2, has been transferred from the Payload Changeout Room into Atlantis' payload bay. The STS-129 crew will deliver two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm. Launch is set for Nov. 16. Credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

- courtesy of NASA

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