NASA: Atlantis on Track for November Launch

On NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the technicians are back in Orbiter Processing Facility-1 today performing final checks on space shuttle Atlantis and the vehicle is set to be in motion, or rollover, to the Vehicle Assembly Building tomorrow with foremost motion scheduled for 7 a.m. EDT.

In the VAB, the external tank along with solid rocket boosters, currently secured in place, also are undergoing final checks as well as testing.

After Atlantis is coupled with the tank and boosters, the giant crawler-transporter will be rolled below the mobile launcher platform. The whole stack now is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A on October 13.

In the meantime, at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the STS-129 crew members will be reviewing deorbit burn procedures as well as space station systems manuals, also practicing heat shield repair techniques.

The astronauts are scheduled to take wing to Kennedy on Oct. 19 to take part in the three-day Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT. Typically held earlier to launch, TCDT gives the crew an chance to ensure the fit of their spacesuits, practice emergency evacuation procedures at the launch pad, review firefighting methods, also participate in briefings on security as well as range safety.

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