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Space Shuttle Atlantis Undergoing Preparations in the Orbiter Processing Facility

The space shuttle Atlantis is undergoing preparations in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for its STS-125 mission, also known as SM4. It is in this facility where technicians configure the vehicle, the crew compartment and the cargo bay for flight. Atlantis' flight crew will participate in a Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT) inspection of the cargo bay in early July. Atlantis will be attached to the external fuel tank in Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building in late August before the entire stacked vehicle is rolled out to Launch Pad 39A.


Image above: The Cargo Bay of the Space Shuttle Atlantis in the Orbiter Processing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center Credit: NASA


Image above: Technicians coordinate the movement of one of the three main engines being installed on space shuttle Atlantis Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

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STS-125: Final Shuttle Mission to Hubble Space Telescope


Image above: These seven astronauts take a break from training to pose for the STS-125 crew portrait. From the left are astronauts Michael J. Massimino, Michael T. Good, both mission specialists; Gregory C. Johnson, pilot; Scott D. Altman, commander; K. Megan McArthur, John M. Grunsfeld and Andrew J. Feustel, all mission specialists. Image credit: NASA

Veteran astronaut Scott D. Altman will command the final space shuttle mission to Hubble. Navy Reserve Capt. Gregory C. Johnson will serve as pilot. Mission specialists include veteran spacewalkers John M. Grunsfeld and Michael J. Massimino and first-time space fliers Andrew J. Feustel, Michael T. Good and K. Megan McArthur.

Altman, a native of Pekin, Ill., will be making his fourth space flight and his second trip to Hubble. He commanded the STS-109 Hubble servicing mission in 2002. He served as pilot of STS-90 in 1998 and STS-106 in 2000. Johnson, a Seattle native and former Navy test pilot and NASA research pilot, was selected as an astronaut in 1998. He will be making his first space flight.

Chicago native Grunsfeld, an astronomer, will be making his third trip to Hubble and his fifth space flight. He performed a total of five spacewalks to service the telescope on STS-103 in 1999 and STS-109 in 2002. He also flew on STS-67 in 1995 and STS-81 in 1997. Massimino, from Franklin Square, N.Y., will be making his second trip to Hubble and his second space flight. He performed two spacewalks to service the telescope during the STS-109 mission in 2002.

Feustel, Good, and McArthur were each selected as astronauts in 2000. Feustel, a native of Lake Orion, Mich., was an exploration geophysicist in the petroleum industry at the time of his selection by NASA. Good is from Broadview Heights, Ohio, and is an Air Force colonel, weapons systems officer and graduate of the Air Force Test Pilot School, having logged more than 2,100 hours in 30 different types of aircraft. McArthur, born in Honolulu, Hawaii, considers California her home state. She has a doctorate in oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California-San Diego.

Launch Target: Oct. 8, 2008
Orbiter: Atlantis
Mission Number: STS-125 (125th space shuttle flight)
Launch Window: 60 minutes - rendezvous dependent
Launch Pad: 39A
Mission Duration: 11 days
Landing Site: KSC


The mission insignia for STS-125 - the fourth Hubble servicing mission. Image: NASA

STS-125: The Final Visit

It's a mission to once more push the boundaries of how deep in space and far back in time humanity can see. It's a flight to again upgrade what already may be the most significant satellite ever launched.

And, for the space shuttle, it's a final visit to a dear, old friend.

The STS-125 mission will return the space shuttle to the Hubble Space Telescope for one last visit before the shuttle fleet retires in 2010. Over 12 days and five spacewalks, the shuttle Atlantis’ crew will make repairs and upgrades to the telescope, leaving it better than ever and ready for another five years – or more – of research.