KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 39B, the rotating service structure has been rolled away from Space Shuttle Atlantis, sitting on the mobile launcher platform. The crawler-transporter, which has moved underneath, will lift and carry both back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), approximately 4 miles away. Despite the clear blue skies, the rollback is a safety precaution as the area waits for the arrival of Tropical Storm Ernesto. The storm is forecast to be bringing 58-mph to 70-mph winds in the next 24 hours. The shuttle will be moved into high bay 2, on the southwest side of the VAB, for protection from the storm. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
Location Kennedy Space Center, FL
Date August 29, 2006