KSC-2011-3840

Cape Canaveral, Fla. -- NASA managers meet in Operations Support Building II at NASA's Kennedy Space Center to discuss the readiness of the payload for shuttle Atlantis' STS-135 mission to the International Space Station. Just before a payload is installed in the shuttle's payload bay, a Payload Readiness Review is held at Kennedy. This review, one of the last in a long process, assesses the readiness of the shuttle and the payload for what are called the "payload on-line integration activities." The last major cargo/shuttle review prior to launch is the Flight Readiness Review which verifies that all integration operations have been completed satisfactorily and gives final certification that the flight elements are ready to go. Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim are targeted to launch on July 8, taking with them the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts. The STS-135 mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing spacecraft and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts135/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann