Team Evaluates Possible Lightning Strike Near Pad

The space shuttle launch team is evaluating a possible lightning strike within one third of a mile from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Engineers will review data to determine if the lightning affected space shuttle Atlantis or any of the pad's ground support equipment. A continuing band of thunderstorms has prevented teams from conducting a detailed pad inspection, which must be performed before the Rotating Service Structure can be rolled back from the shuttle.

After the rollback, the teams will continue work that must be performed before fueling Atlantis' external tank early tomorrow morning. The rollback originally was planned for 2 p.m. EDT.

At this morning's briefing, Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters reported that the launch weather forecast remains unchanged, with a 30 percent chance of favorable weather for the 11:26 a.m. liftoff. The forecast is a more favorable 80 percent when the filling of the huge external fuel tank is set to begin.

At 5 a.m. this morning, the countdown entered a planned hold at the T-11 hour mark, and will resume at 7:01 p.m. tonight.

The astronauts had an early wakeup call as they continue to prepare for tomorrow's launch of Atlantis on the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station.

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Weather Delays Rotating Service Structure Rollback

Bad weather that moved into area of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida has delayed the scheduled rollback of the Rotating Service Structure surrounding space shuttle Atlantis on Launch Pad 39A.

With the scheduled liftoff of Atlantis just one day away, Jeff Spaulding, NASA test director, Joe Delai, STS-135 payload manager, and Kathy Winters, shuttle weather officer, conducted the last countdown status briefing of the Space Shuttle Program this morning.

Winters reported that the launch weather forecast remains unchanged, with a 30 percent chance of favorable weather for the 11:26 a.m. EDT liftoff. The forecast is a more favorable 80 percent when the filling of the huge external fuel tank is set to begin.

"Our teams here and really all around the world have been working extremely hard for quite awhile on this particular mission to make sure the vehicle and the payload are ready for hopefully a magnificent launch on Friday," said NASA Test Director Jeff Spaulding.

At 5 a.m. this morning, the countdown entered a planned hold at the T-11 hour mark, and will resume at 7:01 p.m. tonight.

The astronauts had an early wakeup call as they continue to prepare for tomorrow's launch of Atlantis on the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station.

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NASA Signs Commercial Space Agreement With Sierra Nevada

J.D. Harrington/Michael Braukus     

Headquarters, Washington     

 

Amber Philman

Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

 

Cassie Kloberdanz

Sierra Nevada Space Systems, Sparks, Nev.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is entering into an agreement with Sierra Nevada Space Systems (SNSS) of Sparks, Nev., to offer technical capabilities from the center's uniquely skilled work force.

The umbrella space act agreement is Kennedy's latest step in its transition from a historically government-only launch complex to a multi-user spaceport. Sierra Nevada also has space act agreements with NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston; NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.; NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, Calif.; and NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.

"We're pleased that our partner Sierra Nevada is going to make use of the deep resources existing at the Kennedy Space Center to enhance its ongoing work," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "Sierra Nevada's agreements with Kennedy and other NASA centers demonstrate its commitment to using the full resources of NASA as the agency facilitates commercial cargo and crew capabilities to the International Space Station."

Kennedy will help Sierra Nevada with the ground operations support of its lifting body reusable spacecraft called "Dream Chaser," which resembles a smaller version of the space shuttle orbiter. The spacecraft would carry as many as seven astronauts to the space station.

Through the new agreement, Kennedy's work force will use its experience of processing the shuttle fleet for 30 years to help Sierra Nevada define and execute Dream Chaser's launch preparations and post-landing activities.

"The partnership is an effort to bring new commercial space activities to the center and help transition Kennedy from a government, program-focused, single user launch complex to a diverse, multi-use spaceport, enabling both government and commercial space providers," said Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana.

In 2010 and 2011, Sierra Nevada was awarded grants as part of the initiative to stimulate the private sector in developing and demonstrating human spaceflight capabilities for NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The goal of the program, which is based at Kennedy, is to facilitate the development of a U.S. commercial crew space transportation capability by achieving safe, reliable and cost-effective access to and from the space station and future low Earth orbit destinations.

"Our Dream Chaser vehicle was born at NASA, and NASA has continued to be an important partner in the vehicle's development," said Mark Sirangelo, head of SNSS. "By adding the Kennedy Space Center, with its highly experienced technical staff and world-class facilities, to the Sierra Nevada Dream Chaser Program we blend the best of both the NASA shuttle heritage alongside the best of industry practices."

NASA also has space act agreements with other commercial partners under the agency's Commercial Crew Program. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne has agreements with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., for development of the J-2X upper-stage engine; NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi for hardware assurance testing; and NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, for propulsion related technology development. Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) in Hawthorne, Calif., has agreements with Marshall for engineering development work, and Orbital Sciences Corp. in Dulles, Va., has agreements with Marshall and Stennis for AJ-26 engine engineering support.

For more information about Kennedy, visit http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy.

For information about NASA's commercial transportation programs, visit

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/index.html.

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Rotating Service Structure Move Set for Noon

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Launch Pad 39A's Rotating Service Structure now is targeted to roll back from space shuttle Atlantis at 12 p.m. EDT, two hours earlier than originally planned.

With the scheduled launch of Atlantis just one day away, Jeff Spaulding, NASA test director, Joe Delai, STS-135 payload manager, and Kathy Winters, shuttle weather officer, conducted the last countdown status briefing of the Space Shuttle Program.

Winters reported that the launch weather forecast remains unchanged, with a 30 percent chance of favorable weather for the 11:26 a.m. EDT liftoff. The forecast is a more favorable 80 percent when the filling of the huge external fuel tank is set to begin.

"Our teams here and really all around the world have been working extremely hard for quite awhile on this particular mission to make sure the vehicle and the payload are ready for hopefully a magnificent launch on Friday," said NASA Test Director Jeff Spaulding.

At 5 a.m. this morning, the countdown entered a planned hold at the T-11 hour mark, and will resume at 7:01 p.m. tonight.

The astronauts had an early wakeup call as they continue to prepare for tomorrow's launch of Atlantis on the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station.

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End of an Era: Weather Briefings and Communicating Uncertainty

By Carla Voorhees

Kathy Winters is an Air Force Civilian Meteorologist at the 45th Weather Squadron at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. She is the Space Shuttle Launch Weather Officer providing weather support to the Space Shuttle Program at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) as the Launch Team prepares for the 8 July 2011 launch of Atlantis. You can find out more about the 45th Space Wing at their Facebook page.

We had two significant weather briefings Wednesday, 6 July: the 45th Space Wing Launch Readiness Review and the Shuttle Mission Management Team Launch minus 2-day meeting. Both meetings are essential to determine launch readiness, and weather is one piece of the large puzzle of things that must come together for launch. During these meetings, our squadron presents weather forecasts for the rotating service structure retract, tanking, solid rocket booster recovery, launch, plus 24- and 48- hour launch delay forecasts. Spaceflight Meteorology Group also presents the abort landing weather during the Shuttle Mission Management Team meeting. During the briefings, weather threats are highlighted so the Shuttle and Space Wing teams know what to expect. Sometimes NASA managers change the time of a pre-launch operation if the current schedule puts the launch countdown at risk for a weather delay, but the launch window itself is not modified since it is based upon the rendezvous with the International Space Station on-orbit.

After the Mission Management Team meeting, I attend a press conference with the Shuttle Launch Director, Mike Leinbach, and the Shuttle Launch Integration Manager, Mike Moses.  Our squadron Launch Weather Officers interact with them often since weather affects so many Shuttle operations. We provide a weather briefing to Mike Leinbach and his team every weekday morning to plan ground operations around the weather, if necessary. We increase the briefings to a few updates per day when a hurricane threatens the Florida East Coast. Mike Moses and Mike Leinbach have heard so many of my weather briefings that they can tell from the tone of my voice how certain or uncertain I am about a particular weather forecast. One NASA manager called this “Human Capital,” the rapport these managers build with their team which results in the synergy needed during a challenging situation, such as a Shuttle rollback decision.

Another way we describe the forecast confidence in a particular weather situation is through probability forecasts. For launch, we provide the “Probability of KSC Weather Prohibiting Launch,” as opposed to an absolute forecast. We also provide probabilities for constraint violations during ground operations.  In fact, many Shuttle constraints include probabilities, such as for Shuttle rollout, the constraint is “no more than a 10% chance of lightning within 20nm.” If you view our weekly planning forecast, you will see the probability of precipitation and lightning our customers use for planning purposes. These probability forecasts help launch teams make cost/risk decisions.

Speaking of probabilities, Wednesday, we increased our probability of KSC weather prohibiting launch. Weather does not look good for Friday here on the Florida Space Coast! Check out our latest launch forecast.  Hopefully we’ll be able to launch Friday—check out the photo that shows you the view of the Shuttle launch from our building!

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On the Edge

A dragonfly is seen at the edge of the lagoon near Launch Pad 39A on Wednesday, July 6, 2011, at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Space shuttle Atlantis sits on the pad in the distance, awaiting its July 8, liftoff on the final flight of the shuttle program, a 12-day mission to the International Space Station.

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

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The End of an Era: Atlantis Launch Weather Outlook

By Carla Voorhees

Kathy Winters is an Air Force Civilian Meteorologist at the 45th Weather Squadron at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. She is the Space Shuttle Launch Weather Officer providing weather support to the Space Shuttle Program at Kennedy Space Center as the Launch Team prepares for the 29 April 2011 launch of Endeavour. You can find out more about the 45th Space Wing at their Facebook page.

It’s launch week and we are issuing our weather forecasts for the last Space Shuttle launch Friday, 8 July 2011.  The weather situation is interesting. A tropical wave located over the Turks and Caicos Islands is moving west-northwest toward Florida. These waves are typical this time of year, and as they move into Florida, they bring scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms behind them. We expect this wave to move into Florida on Thursday, the day prior to launch, as it rotates around the western side of the high pressure ridge north of the Central Florida area.  A tropical wave near the Turks and Caicos Islands will bring scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms to Florida Thursday. You can follow the development of the tropical wave in the Caribbean on the National Hurricane Center’s web site, tropical discussion.

Lingering moisture from the wave will still be prevalent in our atmosphere Friday providing ingredients for weather to develop as the sea breeze forms. The sea breeze will likely set up along the coast between 1000EDT and 1100EDT, early enough for weather to become an issue by the 1121EDT opening of the launch window. We expect cumulus clouds, showers, and even possibly a thunderstorm to develop which could violate our launch commit criteria or flight weather rules.  Given this situation, there is a 60% chance of Kennedy Space Center weather prohibiting launch Friday.  The primary concerns are showers or thunderstorms within 20 nautical miles of the Shuttle Landing Facility and cumulus clouds within 10 nautical miles (nm) of the launch pad.

Another weather phenomenon we have potential for this week is an offshore waterspout. On summertime mornings when we have a south-southeasterly flow with very weak winds through a moist atmosphere, waterspouts sometimes develop offshore of the Kennedy Space Center coast. These waterspouts are not damaging like tornadoes and usually have winds 30-45 knots. You wouldn’t want to drive your boat through one of these, but we issue weather advisories for these types of waterspouts (as opposed to a tornado warning) so the personnel at Kennedy Space Center know they are not a threat to life and property like a classic tornado.  Although there are no launch commit criteria or flight rules associated with waterspouts, the cumulus clouds above them might be a concern! You can learn more about Florida waterspouts from NOAA.

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Shuttle Era: Imagery

Mike Curie, STS-133 Launch Commentator: 2, 1, booster ignition. And the final liftoff of Discovery!

Perhaps one of the most impressive images is that of a space shuttle lifting off the launch pad, riding plumes of bright orange flames.

But more than just providing an impressive sight, shuttle images play a critical role in launch safety.

Each successful launch depends heavily on still and video images that allow the launch team to closely scrutinize the spacecraft both before and during liftoff.

Long before the main engines fire and the solid rocket boosters ignite, the entire shuttle stack has been thoroughly photographed and continually monitored by TV cameras as the countdown clock ticks down.

Members of a group called the Final Inspection Team play a key role, providing the imagery directly from the launch pad and analysis from the Launch Control Center.

Tom Ford, NASA Team Lead: "The images we take on the Final Inspection Team are sent back to the LCC. When we give the report to the Mission Management Team, and to the launch director, to the SPE, they can look at our imagery, and in particular the ones we single out and tell them that we know there is a problem here, they can do analysis of their own on those images."

The team members can identify and photograph problems that might go undetected without their on-the-spot inspection.

But the launch director and his team aren't limited to just images from the inspection team.

Ivan Bush, Engineer United Space Alliance: "In the LCC we have the ice-frost console and we continuously monitor upward to 135 different camera locations. Those assets are controlled by NASA and other contractors, some as far as, I believe, close to 20 miles south and 20 miles north of the launch complex. Some of these assets are basically large telescopes and they are able to film the orbiter several minutes into its flight profile. We also have, I want to say, about 60 cameras within the actual perimeter of the launch pad. Some of the various assets some are infrared, some are HD, some are standard cameras, some are at higher and slower speed. A lot of them are at about 400 frames per second so we can catch a very, very slow behavioral aspect of each vehicle component, because some components we want to watch how they work the moment they are supposed to go to work. And we'll see them frame-by-frame we watch them frame-by-frame."

So as the final space shuttle pierces the sky over NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, both technology and trained eyes will once again be keenly focused to ensure a safe and successful mission.

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Briefing Under Way

NASA TV is carrying the Precountdown Status Briefing live. Briefing participants are Jeremy Graeber, NASA test director, Joe Delai, STS-135 payload manager, and Kathy Winters, shuttle weather officer. The briefing is live online at www.nasa.gov/ntv.

The countdown for the final space shuttle launch begins today at 1 p.m. EDT. The STS-135 astronauts flew to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida yesterday. Today the crew members will review their flight data file and conduct checks of their launch and entry suits.

At Kennedy's Launch Pad 39A, technicians have completed space shuttle Atlantis' aft confidence checks and final preparations of the main propulsion system.

Despite storms in the area over the extended weekend, there were no reports of adverse weather or lightning strikes inside the launch pad.

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The Osprey Has Landed

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an adult osprey guards its young in a nest built on a platform in the Press Site parking lot. In the background is the 12,300-square-foot NASA logo painted on the side of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The VAB and Press Site are located at the Turn Basin in Launch Complex 39, making it an ideal osprey nesting place. The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge overlaps with Kennedy Space Center property and provides a habitat for many types of wildlife, including the osprey, and 330 species of birds. For information on the refuge, visit www.fws.gov/merrittisland/Index.

Image Credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

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Countdown Begins Today

The countdown for the final space shuttle launch begins today at 1 p.m. EDT. The STS-135 astronauts flew to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida yesterday. Today the crew members will review their flight data file and conduct checks of their launch and entry suits.

At Kennedy's Launch Pad 39A, technicians have completed space shuttle Atlantis' aft confidence checks and final preparations of the main propulsion system.

Despite storms in the area over the extended weekend, there were no reports of adverse weather or lightning strikes inside the launch pad.

At 10 a.m. EDT this morning, NASA TV will carry the Precountdown Status Briefing live. Briefing participants will be Jeremy Graeber, NASA test director, Joe Delai, STS-135 payload manager, and Kathy Winters, shuttle weather officer. The briefing can be seen online at www.nasa.gov/ntv.

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Aft Close Out Work Ahead of Holiday

Technicians at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A expect to complete work to close out space shuttle Atlantis' aft section. Teams are not working any issues to prevent the start of the launch countdown at 1 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, July 5. Teams will have the Independence Day weekend off.

At NASA's Johnson Space Center, the STS-135 astronauts will perform a final ascent simulation today before next week's launch. The crew is set to arrive at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility at approximately 2:45 p.m. on Monday, July 4th. The arrival will be shown live on NASA TV and at www.nasa.gov/ntv.

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Launch Preparations Move Forward

Preparations at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are moving forward as space shuttle Atlantis' liftoff on July 8 nears. Today, technicians at Launch Pad 39A will pressurize Atlantis' main propulsion system following the closure yesterday of the spacecraft's payload bay doors.

The STS-135 crew will participate in preflight interviews from NASA's Johnson Space Center today. Briefings about this final mission of the Space Shuttle Program will air live on NASA TV throughout the day and also can be seen online at nasa.gov/ntv.

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NASA Invites 150 Lucky Twitter Followers To Final Space Shuttle Launch

Stephanie L. Schierholz

Headquarters, Washington     

 

Alicia Durand

Sesame Street

WASHINGTON -- The final launch of the space shuttle program is scheduled for 11:26 a.m. EDT on July 8, and NASA has invited 150 followers of the agency's Twitter account to be there. People selected will have a behind-the-scenes perspective from the press site at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA randomly selected the participants from more than 5,500 online registrants during a 24-hour opportunity on June 1-2. Attendees represent 44 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K.

Tweetup participants are coming from Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

They will share their experiences with their more than 1.5 million combined followers through the social networking site Twitter. Beginning at 10:30 a.m. on July 7, NASA will broadcast a portion of the Tweetup when participants get to talk with Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations, astronaut Mike Massimino and Angie Brewer, space shuttle Atlantis' flow director at Kennedy.

Joining them will be a special celebrity guest, Sesame Street's Elmo. Sesame Street will be at Kennedy to film Elmo, as he learns about space exploration at NASA.

To watch the broadcast, visit http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasatelevision.

Participants also will tour Kennedy; make an up close visit to the launch pad, and wave at Atlantis' crew members on their drive to the launch pad. The Tweetup culminates with the shuttle's lift off.

Reporters credentialed to cover the launch also may cover the NASA Tweetup at Kennedy's press site. Reporters interested in interviewing Tweetup attendees in advance should contact Stephanie Schierholz at 202-358-1100 or stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov.

This is the fifth time NASA has invited Twitter followers to experience a space shuttle launch. Previously, groups attended lift offs of Atlantis' STS-129 and STS-132 missions, Discovery's STS-133 mission, and Endeavour's STS-134 mission.

To follow the Tweetup participants on Twitter, as they experience the prelaunch events and shuttle liftoff, follow the #NASATweetup hashtag and the list of attendees at http://twitter.com/nasatweetup/sts-135-launch.

All four of Atlantis' crew members are posting updates to Twitter. You can follow Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim at http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Ferg , http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Doug , http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Sandy , and http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Rex.

To connect with NASA on Twitter and other social networking sites, visit http://www.nasa.gov/connect.

For more information about space shuttle Atlantis' STS-135 mission, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle.

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Walkway to Space

The doors to the White Room, which provide entry to space shuttle Atlantis' crew compartment, is seen here at the end of the access arm walkway on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Image Credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

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Atlantis and Crew Prepared for July 8 Liftoff

Launch pad technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are in the process of closing out space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay in preparation for liftoff from Launch Pad 39A on July 8 at 11:26 a.m. EDT. The bay's doors are expected to be closed for flight today.

This follows yesterday's day-long Flight Readiness Review at which senior NASA and contractor managers confirmed that Atlantis is ready for this last shuttle flight to supply the International Space Station.

"This flight is incredibly important. The cargo that is coming up on this flight is really mandatory for space station," said Bill Gerstenmaier, assistant administrator for space operations, following yesterday's review.

In preparation for this final mission of the Space Shuttle Program, the STS-135 astronauts will undergo their L-10 physicals today at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

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NASA Sets Launch Date For Final Space Shuttle Mission

Stephanie Schierholz

Headquarters, Washington

Candrea Thomas

Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Atlantis' Commander Chris Ferguson and his three crewmates are scheduled to begin a 12-day mission to the International Space Station with a launch at 11:26 a.m. EDT on July 8, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The STS-135 mission is the final flight of the Space Shuttle Program.

The launch date was announced Tuesday at the conclusion of a flight readiness review at Kennedy. During the meeting, senior NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle and station's equipment, support systems and personnel are ready.

Atlantis' STS-135 mission will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module filled with supplies and spare parts to sustain space station operations after the shuttles are retired.

The mission also will fly the Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM), an experiment designed to demonstrate and test the tools, technologies and techniques needed to robotically refuel satellites in space - even satellites not designed to be serviced. The crew also will return an ammonia pump that recently failed on the station. Engineers want to understand why the pump failed and improve designs for future spacecraft.

The crew consists of Commander Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim. They are scheduled to arrive at Kennedy on Monday, July 4, for final launch preparations. STS-135 is the 135th shuttle mission, Atlantis' 33rd flight and the 37th shuttle mission to the station.

For more information about the STS-135 mission, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle.

For more information about the space station, visit http://www.nasa.gov/station.

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Managers Say Atlantis is "Go" for Launch

After the day-long Flight Readiness Review at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, senior NASA and contractor managers voted unanimously to set space shuttle Atlantis' STS-135 launch date as July 8 at 11:26 a.m. EDT.

NASA Television will air a news conference at 3:30 p.m. to discuss the meeting and preparations for Atlantis' mission to the International Space Station. Participants will include Bill Gerstenmaier, assistant administrator for space operations, Mike Moses, Space Shuttle Program launch integration manager and Mike Leinbach, shuttle launch director.

Watch the news conference at www.nasa.gov/ntv.

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Atlantis' Closeouts Under Way

Today at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians at Launch Pad 39A will begin the week-long process of closing space shuttle Atlantis' aft section in preparation for its liftoff on the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station. Tomorrow, managers will meet at Kennedy to conduct the final Flight Readiness Review, which is expected to confirm the currently targeted launch date of July 8.

Over the weekend, teams at the pad completed a full retest of the No. 3 engine's main fuel valve. They replaced the valve last week due to a suspected leak detected during a tanking test on June 15. In addition, engineers found no issues with the 21-foot long support beams on space shuttle Atlantis' external fuel tank following X-ray scans of the stringers that were completed last week.

At NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston today, the STS-135 astronauts are set to practice an entry simulation as they continue to train for the final flight of the Space Shuttle Program.

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Seaside Sunrise

The sun rises over the Atlantic Ocean silhouetting space shuttle Atlantis' external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in the image taken on June 23, 2011.

Image Credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

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