Endeavour’s Final Launch: April 29 at the Earliest

April 7, 2011—NASA officials delayed the launch of space shuttle Endeavour by at least 10 days to remove a scheduling conflict with a Russian supply vehicle. The STS-134 mission is now tentatively scheduled to launch at 3:47 p.m. EDT on April 29 from Kennedy Space Center, while the Russian Progress supply vehicle that will deliver supplies to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch April 27 and arrive at the station April 29. Allard Beutel, a NASA spokesman, told the New York Times that the Russians were reluctant to postpone the supply run because of a time-sensitive experiment aboard the craft. NASA managers will hold a flight readiness review on April 19 to assess the team’s readiness. An official launch date for Endeavour will be selected after that meeting. Until launch, engineers will continue ground support equipment evaluations at Launch Pad 39A following storms that hit the area late last week. Teams met Tuesday and determined minor damage to space shuttle Endeavour’s external fuel tank foam insulation will not need to be repaired. The spacecraft was not damaged. The STS-134 crew includes Commander Mark Kelly, Pilot Gregory H. Johnson and Mission Specialists Michael Fincke, Greg Chamitoff, Andrew Feustel and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori. During the 14-day mission, Endeavour will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and spare parts including two S-band communications antennas, a high-pressure gas tank, spare parts for Dextre and micrometeoroid debris shields. Meanwhile, a Russian capsule delivered three new astronauts to the International Space Station at 7:09 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, doubling the size of the crew. Russians Andrey Borisenko and Alexander Samokutyaev, and American Ronald Garan Jr. are joining three astronauts who will return to Earth in about one month. The newcomers will stay at the orbiting space station for five months. CBC News reported that space station operations will be unaffected if the U.S. government shuts down this weekend.

Crews move the primary payload for space shuttle Endeavour’s STS-134 mission into the Payload Changeout Room on Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center. Photo credit: NASA The Soyuz TMA-21 is pictured minutes away from docking to the station’s Poisk module. Photo credit: NASA TV The ET-122 logo is emblazoned on Endeavour’s external tank. A detailed inspection was conducted to ascertain whether severe storms over the pad last week affected the external tank. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

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