TAG | Atlantis rolls out to launch pad amidst storm warning |
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| by William Atkins | |
| Saturday, 06 September 2008 | |
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Page 2 of 2 However, even though Atlantis is now positioned on her launch pad, she may be forced to move back into the VAB if high-wind storms target the region. NASA spokesperson Candrea Thomas stated, "What we are doing is watching it [Hurricane Ike] extremely closely to find out where it's going to go. We'll just watch Ike and Josephine and see what happens.” [Space.com: “Space Shuttle Atlantis Moves to Launch Pad”] Hurricane Ike is currently a Category 3 storm (downgraded from Category 4) in the central Atlantic Ocean with winds at 125 miles per hour. It is now located over 525 miles (845 kilometers) northeast of the Leeward Islands, the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain of islands (West Indies). Ike is now heading toward the Bahamas and southern Florida, with expected impacts to land beginning Sunday night, September 7, and through Tuesday. Find additional information about Hurricane Ike on Weather.com. Tropical Storm Josephine is currently a fairly weak tropical storm in the eastern Atlantic Ocean with little chance to make landfall. The Leeward Islands are positioned where the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea comes together. Josephine is further out and is currently classified as a tropical storm. As it stands, now, the cargo for Atlantis will be installed on September 19, 2008. The cargo consists of two new science instruments for Hubble, along with six gyroscopes and six batteries. Four extra days remain in the schedule for additional delays. In two weeks, space shuttle Endeavour will be rolled out to launch complex 39B. Because the STS-125 mission is not going to the International Space Station, and will not be able to go to the Station in case of an emergency, Endeavour and its STS-400 crew will be on stand-by in case the Atlantis crew needs to be rescued while on its mission.
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