Consequently, NASA officials have given the go-ahead to roll out Atlantis to launch pad 39A on Tuesday, May 15th. It will begin its slow 3.4-mile journey at about 4 a.m. EDT.

[This article was updated on 5/15/07 after the rollout day was advanced by one day.--author]

During the announcement, NASA officials stated that the external tank of the Space Shuttle has an unusual “speckled” appearance, but such a look will not affect safety or performance in any way. In fact, NASA leaders commended the outstanding work of NASA and contractor personnel on the extensive repairs performed on the external tank due to the freak hailstorm that put thousands of divots into the foam insulation of the fuel tank.

On May 30th or 31st, NASA will conduct a flight readiness review (FRR) to access the readiness of the shuttle for launch. A discussion afterwards will inform the media of the results. Currently, the STS-117 mission is scheduled for a launch no earlier than June 8th.

The STS-117 mission will deliver the second starboard truss segment (S3/S4) with photovoltaic radiator (PVR) and the third set of solar arrays and batteries to the International Space Station. Marine colonel Frederick Sturckow will command STS-117 and Air Force colonel Lee Archambault is its pilot. Mission specialists for the mission are James Reilly II, Patrick Forrester, Steven Swanson, and John D. Olivas.

The STS-117 crew will also take up ISS Expedition 15/16 flight engineer Clayton C. Anderson to the space station. He is replacing ISS Expedition 14/15 flight engineer Sunita L. Williams, who will be returning to the Earth when Atlantis returns home with the STS-117 crew, scheduled eleven days after liftoff.

Additional information about the STS-117 mission is found at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts117/index.html.

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