![]() With the shuttle program's impending end in sight, NASA officials also highlighted their admiration for the ground teams' hard work to round out the program on a high note. The results of Atlantis' fueling test earlier this month showed no cracks or other anomalies, agency officials said.Ītlantis' final astronaut crew, which includes commander Chris Ferguson, pilot Doug Hurley and mission specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim, will arrive at Kennedy Space Center on July 4 at 2:45 p.m. ![]() Discovery's liftoff was delayed months due to the cracks, but eventually launched flawlessly on Feb. Officials also checked modifications to Atlantis' external fuel tank, reinforcements designed to prevent the type of cracks found on the shuttle Discovery's tank before its own final launch earlier this year. The leaky valve was replaced and technicians at the launch pad completed a successful test on the new valve, NASA officials said. They also checked on repairs to a main engine fuel valve on Atlantis that leaked during a recent fueling test on June 15. The teams did a tremendous job today of staying on point, getting ready for the mission, and getting ready for the launch." The cargo coming up on this flight is really mandatory. This flight is incredibly important to the space station. "We spent quite a bit of time going over each activity going on on this flight. "We had a very thorough review," said Bill Gersteinmaier, NASA's space operations chief. "We're really looking forward to achieving this mission, putting the station where it needs to be and finishing strong with STS-135," Mike Moses, chair of the shuttle's mission management team, said in a news briefing this afternoon.ĭuring today's meeting, top NASA shuttle officials reviewed outstanding issues from the agency's previous spaceflight - the shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission - to make sure they won't impact Atlantis' flight. It will be NASA's 135th shuttle mission since the program began 30 years ago. Atlantis' 12-day mission will deliver vital spare parts to the space station to help keep the orbiting lab going after the shuttle era ends.
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