KSC-2009-3700

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Visible after rollback of the rotating service structure and looming like giants against the sky are the solid rocket boosters, external tank and space shuttle Endeavour, poised for launch on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Near the top of Endeavour is the White Room, at the end of the orbiter access arm. The White Room provides entry into the shuttle for the astronauts. The rollback is preparation for Endeavour's liftoff June 13 on the STS-127 mission with a crew of seven. First motion was at 10:39 a.m. EDT and completed at 11:18 a.m. The rotating structure provides protected access to the shuttle for changeout and servicing of payloads at the pad. It is supported by a rotating bridge that pivots on a vertical axis on the west side of the pad's flame trench. After the RSS is rolled back, the orbiter is ready for fuel cell activation and external tank cryogenic propellant loading operations. The launch will be Endeavour's 23rd flight. The shuttle will carry the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility, or JEM-EF, and the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section, or ELM-ES, on STS-127. The mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory complex on the space station. Endeavour's launch is scheduled for June 13 at 7:17 a.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann