SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C#31468
*Endeavour Readies for August Launch*
Image above: The main engines on the orbiter Endeavour (upper right) are seen as Endeavour is lowered into high bay 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking with the external tank (seen at left) and solid rocket boosters. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder + Full Size Image http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/181716main_07pd1774.jpg
*07.05.07 2:45 p.m. EDT* Fresh off the success of STS-117, NASA is quickly gearing up for the shuttle's next visit to the International Station, the STS-118 mission, targeted for an Aug. 7 launch. The mission will deliver the S5 truss to the station and will mark the first flight of Mission Specialist Barbara Morgan, the teacher-turned-astronaut whose association with NASA began more than 20 years ago.
Processing for STS-118 continues at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Orbiter Endeavour arrived inside the Vehicle Assembly Building on Monday after a short roll from the nearby Orbiter Processing Facility. In the assembly building's transfer aisle, Endeavour was lifted vertically, transferred to a high bay and attached to its external tank and solid rocket boosters. STS-118 will be the first flight for Endeavour since 2002.
On July 3, Orbiter Atlantis made its graceful landing at Kennedy Space Center mounted atop a modified 747 jetliner called the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, officially concluding the STS-117 mission.
+ STS-118 Mission Overview http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts118/index.html
+ STS-117 Mission Summary http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/sts117_overview.html | + Photos and Videos http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts117/multimedia/index.html