SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS LIFTOFF TODAY PERFECT, MAY 11th, 2009

See pictures and read article below. Great liftoff. I am going to miss the shuttles when they end. Sad they have to end. Enjoy the video and pics. Thanks for stopping by.













Space shuttle Atlantis and a crew of seven astronauts are on their way to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope following liftoff from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 2:01 p.m. The 11-day STS-125 mission will be NASA's final service call to the space-based telescope.

At nearby Launch Pad 39B, space shuttle Endeavour is on standby in the unlikely event that a rescue mission for the Atlantis crew members would be necessary during their mission. Endeavour will be moved to Launch Pad 39A prior to its next missions, STS-127, targeted for a June launch.

This likely marks the last time two space shuttles will stand on the launch pads at the same time since the shuttle program is set to end next year.















The Mission to Hubble Begins
Mon, 11 May 2009 02:16:07 PM EDT


The STS-125 astronauts are in orbit aboard space shuttle Atlantis. The beautiful launch was just the beginning of this exciting mission. Soon, the crew will conduct five spacewalks to improve NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

We hope you will continue to follow the mission at www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Check back each day for the latest news, and be sure to join us on landing day for complete coverage of Atlantis' return to Earth. Thanks for following the countdown with NASA's Launch Blog.

Main Engine Cutoff
Mon, 11 May 2009 02:10:38 PM EDT


Right on time! We have main engine cutoff and external tank separation as Atlantis and crew reach the weightlessness of space.



Solid Rocket Booster Separation
Mon, 11 May 2009 02:04:43 PM EDT


The solid rocket boosters have separated. Atlantis continues its climb toward space, and all is going well with the flight as the shuttle's three main engines power the vehicle toward a point where it escapes Earth's atmosphere.

Atlantis Climbs Skyward
Mon, 11 May 2009 02:02:42 PM EDT

The shuttle rolls into a head-down position as it climbs skyward. About 30 seconds after liftoff, Atlantis' three main engines throttle down to about 72 percent. One minute after launch, the engines throttle up again to 104 percent, bringing the vehicle to the peak of aerodynamic pressure called "max Q."

Two minutes into flight, the twin solid rocket boosters will burn out and separate, falling back to Earth toward the Atlantic Ocean, where the booster recovery ships, Freedom Star and Liberty Star, are stationed to retrieve them.



Liftoff of Space Shuttle Atlantis!
Mon, 11 May 2009 02:02:04 PM EDT


Three... two... one... and liftoff of space shuttle Atlantis as the thunderous roar of its boosters and engines echoes across Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle has cleared the tower and is headed toward its mission to extend the life of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Mission Control at NASA�s Johnson Space Center in Houston is now in directing the flight.



Countdown in the Final Stretch
Mon, 11 May 2009 01:53:04 PM EDT


Coming out of the hold, the countdown clock is at T-9 minutes and counting. Liftoff of space shuttle Atlantis is just minutes away now as the automatic ground launch sequencer takes control of the countdown. During these final minutes, a number of events take place to ready the shuttle for launch. The crew access arm is retracted, as well as the gaseous oxygen vet arm. Atlantis' three auxiliary power units are started and activated, along with data recorders inside the Launch Control Center's Firing Room 4.



It's a "Go" for Atlantis' Launch!
Mon, 11 May 2009 01:49:28 PM EDT


Mission Management Team Chairman Michael P. Moses and NASA Test Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson both polled their teams, followed by a final poll by Launch Director Mike Leinbach. Atlantis is "go" for launch!



Launch Director Gets Briefing on Inspection
Mon, 11 May 2009 01:42:55 PM EDT


Inspection team members are currently briefing Launch Director Mike Leinbach on their findings regarding the ice located on an umbilical line.


Final Countdown Hold Begins
Mon, 11 May 2009 01:12:07 PM EDT


The countdown clock now stands at T-9 minutes and holding. This is the final built-in hold in today's countdown. During this time, the launch director, Mission Management Team and NASA test director conduct their final "go/no-go" polls. This hold will last 40 minutes, bringing the countdown in alignment with a 2:01 p.m. liftoff.



Inspection Team Members Prepare to Leave Launch Pad
Mon, 11 May 2009 01:10:28 PM EDT


Members of the Final Inspection Team are heading back from Launch Pad 39A after taking a second look at some ice that is located on an umbilical. The launch team here at Kennedy's Launch Control Center will take a look at their findings.


Count Resumes
Mon, 11 May 2009 01:01:07 PM EDT


Coming out of the hold, the clock is once again moving, counting down toward a 2:01 p.m. liftoff. There will be one final hold at T-9 minutes. Atlantis' onboard computers are being transitioned to launch configuration and fuel cell thermal conditioning has begun. The shuttle cabin vent valves are being closed.



Inspection Team Returns to the Launch Pad
Mon, 11 May 2009 12:56:22 PM EDT


Four members of the Final Inspection Team are back at Launch Pad 39A to take a second look at some ice that is located on an umbilical on the left side. They are doing their inspection from the zero level of the pad.


Second Built-in Hold Begins
Mon, 11 May 2009 12:51:56 PM EDT


The countdown clock now stands at T-20 minutes and holding. This is a built-in hold lasting 10 minutes. During this time, NASA Test Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson will conduct final launch team briefings.



Weather Update: Go!
Mon, 11 May 2009 12:47:24 PM EDT


Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters just updated Launch Director Mike Leinbach on the forecast for launch time. The launch site weather continues to be positive, and conditions at today's transoceanic abort landing site at Moron, Spain are now "go" as well.


It's a fact...
Mon, 11 May 2009 12:22:26 PM EDT


This mission to Hubble will enhance the observatory and ensure its cutting-edge science by putting in place advanced technology that improves its discovery power by 10 to 70 times.



Hatch Closure
Mon, 11 May 2009 12:08:24 PM EDT


With all seven astronauts strapped inside Atlantis, the closeout crew is closing Atlantis' hatch. They will perform hatch seal and cabin leak checks before departing the launch pad area, leaving the astronauts alone to await liftoff.



Red Team Leaving the Launch Pad
Mon, 11 May 2009 11:38:21 AM EDT


The Red Team that was dispatched to the launch pad to verify the location of two shims from a side flame deflector in the flame trench is leaving the pad and reports no issues.



All Aboard Atlantis
Mon, 11 May 2009 11:34:10 AM EDT


Mission Specialist Megan McArthur is the last to board Atlantis, taking her position in the flight deck's left rear seat.



Red Team Dispatching to the Launch Pad
Mon, 11 May 2009 11:11:52 AM EDT


A "Red Team" is being assembled to go to Launch Pad 39A. The three-person crew will verify the location of two shims from a side flame deflector in the flame trench that runs beneath the pad. Because of the location, camera views cannot provide the proper verification.


Two More Climb Aboard
Mon, 11 May 2009 11:05:25 AM EDT


Mission Specialist Michael Good is preparing to enter Atlantis' flight deck, where he will ride to space in the right rear seat. He will shortly be followed by Mission Specialist Mike Massimino, who will take the center seat on the middeck.



Astronauts Continue Boarding Atlantis
Mon, 11 May 2009 10:53:01 AM EDT


Next up is Pilot Gregory C. Johnson, who will take the forward right seat on the flight deck, followed by Mission Specialist John Grunsfeld, who will climb into the left middeck position. Since Atlantis is in a vertical position on the launch pad, the astronauts are actually reclining in their seats, facing skyward.



Climb Aboard
Mon, 11 May 2009 10:44:42 AM EDT


The astronauts are beginning to board space shuttle Atlantis from the White Room. Commander Scott Altman is the first to enter the shuttle and strap into the forward left seat on the flight deck. Next to board will be Mission Specialist Andrew Feustel, who will be located in the right seat on Atlantis' middeck.

As a standard part of the boarding process, all the astronauts do a communication test, or "comm" check, to verify that they are in two-way communication with both the launch team at Kennedy and mission control at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.



At the Pad
Mon, 11 May 2009 10:35:47 AM EDT


The astronauts have reached the foot of Launch Pad 39A where space shuttle Atlantis waits to carry them on their mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. They'll ride the pad's elevator up to the 195-foot level where the White Room crew awaits their arrival.



Astronauts Headed to the Pad
Mon, 11 May 2009 10:28:47 AM EDT


The Astrovan reached the Launch Complex 39 area where it briefly paused here at the Launch Control Center so that some of the management team could disembark. They are now continuing the remaining few miles east to the launch pad.


Atlantis' Crew Doing "The Walk"
Mon, 11 May 2009 10:16:24 AM EDT


Smiling and waving to cheering space center workers, the STS-125 astronauts are making their way out of the Operations and Checkout Building where their crew quarters is located. They are walking the short distance to the silver Astrovan that will carry them to the launch pad. Ever since 1984, each shuttle crew has traveled to the launch pad aboard the same vehicle. A modified Airstream motor home, the Astrovan is used solely to transport the astronauts on three occasions: to the launch pad for launch dress rehearsal, on launch day and after landing.



Countdown Resumes
Mon, 11 May 2009 10:11:06 AM EDT


Reaching the end of the 2 1/2 hour built-in hold at T-3 hours, the countdown clock is once again ticking down toward today's liftoff. There are two more built-in holds in today's countdown, coming at the T-20 and T-9 minute marks.



Team Completes Inspection
Mon, 11 May 2009 10:02:12 AM EDT


Right on schedule, the Final Inspection Team members have reported they are preparing to leave Launch Pad 39A and have no issues to report.


Launch Preparations Continue at Several Sites
Mon, 11 May 2009 09:55:27 AM EDT


Inside the crew quarters of the Operations and Checkout Building, the astronauts are climbing into on their pressurized launch-and-entry suits before departing for the launch pad aboard the Astrovan. Stationed about 150 miles off the mid-Florida coast in the Atlantic Ocean, NASA's booster recovery ships, Freedom Star and Liberty Star, stand ready to retrieve and tow to shore the two solid rocket boosters that will tumble into the ocean.

As space shuttle Atlantis stands ready on Launch Pad 39A, technicians inside the White Room are making final preparations for the astronauts' arrival at the pad.

Here in the Launch Control Center, just over three miles from the launch pad, the launch team is assembled at their consoles in Firing Room 4.



Weather Looking Good
Mon, 11 May 2009 09:46:36 AM EDT


Launch weather in Florida continues to be very favorable, with a 90-percent chance of permitting liftoff today. Keeping track of today's weather conditions from the Shuttle Training Aircraft will be astronaut Steve Lindsey, chief of the Astronaut Corps. The team will continue to monitor weather at today's only transoceanic abort landing site at Moron, Spain. Some earlier showers are expected to clear the area by launch time.

Today's launch team has a longer launch window than is typical for launches to the International Space Station -- 62 minutes -- with the scheduled launch time occurring 20 minutes into that window at 2:01 p.m.



Weather Briefing
Mon, 11 May 2009 09:32:21 AM EDT


In crew quarters, Commander Scott Altman and his crew are scheduled to receive a weather briefing shortly from flight controllers at the Mission Control Center in Houston before they begin suiting up. As they put on the familiar, orange launch-and-entry suits, the astronauts are assisted by suit technicians from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Once suited, they'll take that familiar walk from the Operations and Checkout Building to the waiting Astrovan for the 20-minute trip to the launch pad. At the pad, one by one they'll strap into their seats aboard Atlantis in anticipation of a 2:01 p.m. liftoff.



Closeout Crew at the Pad
Mon, 11 May 2009 09:23:34 AM EDT


Members of the closeout crew are inside the White Room making final preparations before the astronauts climb aboard Atlantis. The team is joined by today's Astronaut Support Personnel, led by astronaut Kay Hire. The team works in advance of the crew's arrival at the pad, and helps them as they board the shuttle.


Final Inspection Team at Launch Pad 39A
Mon, 11 May 2009 09:11:07 AM EDT


The seven-member Final Inspection Team, also known as the Ice Team, is conducting a top-to-bottom examination of the shuttle and launch pad. The team has the crucial and potentially dangerous job of inspecting the entire space shuttle stack -- orbiter, external tank and solid rocket boosters -- to locate any unusual ice buildup, debris or damage that could endanger the vehicle and crew after liftoff.



Final Hubble Servicing Mission
Mon, 11 May 2009 08:55:23 AM EDT


Today's liftoff will mark the fifth and final time that a space shuttle crew will fly a servicing mission to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Atlantis' crew will conduct five spacewalks to install new instruments, repair and refurbish existing equipment, and replace gyroscopes and batteries. The work is expected to extend the life of the observatory into the next decade.



Great Day for a Launch
Mon, 11 May 2009 08:43:54 AM EDT


The weather along Florida's east coast where NASA's Kennedy Space Center is located has been hot and dry, and there is only a 10-percent chance of weather issues at liftoff time.


The STS-125 Crew
Mon, 11 May 2009 08:38:32 AM EDT


After an early wake-up call in the crew quarters, the astronauts underwent a final prelaunch medical exam at about 6 a.m.

Veteran astronaut Scott Altman commands this final space shuttle mission to Hubble, with Gregory C. Johnson serving as pilot. Mission specialists include veteran spacewalkers John Grunsfeld and Mike Massimino, and first-time space fliers Andrew Feustel, Michael Good and Megan McArthur.



Launch Day for Atlantis and STS-125 Crew
Mon, 11 May 2009 08:30:28 AM EDT


Good morning and thanks for joining NASA's Launch Blog as we follow the countdown to launch of space shuttle Atlantis on the final mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

Today's live updates are coming to you from inside the Launch Control Center's Firing Room 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Just a few miles east of here, Atlantis stands ready on Launch Pad 39A.

The count is in the T-3 hour built-in hold and scheduled to resume at 10:11 a.m. Just after 4 a.m., the Mission Management Team met and gave the "go" to fill Atlantis' giant orange external tank with more than 500,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. The operation was completed an hour ago, and both propellants will remain in stable replenish mode until the final minutes of today's countdown.



Live Countdown Coverage
Mon, 11 May 2009 07:28:56 AM EDT


Launch day has arrived for space shuttle Atlantis and crew, and our live blog updates will begin at 8:30 a.m.

Go Atlantis!

Space Shuttle ATLANTIS set to fly May 11th, 2009, Monday @2:01 PM~MISSION # STS 125

Atlantis' Launch One Day Away
Sun, 10 May 2009 10:37:47 AM EDT

At this morning's final countdown status briefing from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Test Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said that the countdown timeline is on target and "Atlantis is ready to fly." READ MORE BELOW. Atlantis will fix the Hubble telescope 350 miles about earth.

Final preparations will continue throughout the day at Launch Pad 39A, and the rotating service structure that surrounds Atlantis will be rolled back into its launch position at 5 p.m. EDT.

Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters improved on the forecast, now giving the team a 90-percent chance to launch Atlantis at 2:01 p.m. EDT tomorrow without weather interfering.

Also this morning, STS-125 Commander Scott Altman and Pilot Gregory C. Johnson once again practiced landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft as the entire crew readies for their mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

Live countdown and launch coverage begins tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. on NASA TV and on the Web at

www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/launch_blog.html.

Mission: STS-125
Orbiter: Atlantis
Primary Payload: Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 4
Launch Date: May 11
Launch Time: 2:01 p.m. EDT
Launch Pad: 39A
Mission Duration: 11 days
Landing Date: May 22
Landing Time: 11:41 a.m. EDT
Landing Site: Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Inclination/Altitude: 28.5 degrees/304 nautical miles

Monday Launch Day Highlights
2:41 a.m. Countdown enters a two-hour planned hold at T-6 hours
4:06 a.m. Mission Management Team meets to give a "go" to begin fueling Atlantis' external tank
4:41 a.m. Countdown resumes at the T-6 hour mark with the fueling of Atlantis
5:30 a.m. STS-125 astronauts wake up for launch
6:00 a.m. Atlantis' astronauts undergo final medical exams
7:41 a.m. Countdown enters a two-hour, 30-minute hold at T-3 hours; fueling enters stable replenish
8:30 a.m. Live launch coverage begins on NASA TV and Launch Blog
10:11 a.m. Countdown resumes at T-3 hours
10:16 a.m. Atlantis astronauts depart crew quarters for Launch Pad 39A
10:46 a.m. Astronauts arrive at the launch pad and begin to board Atlantis
12:01 p.m. Atlantis' hatch is closed and latched for launch
12:51 p.m. Countdown enters a 10-minute planned hold at the T-20 minute mark
1:01 p.m. Countdown resumes at the T-20 minute mark
1:12 p.m. Countdown enters a 40-minute planned hold at the T-9 minute mark, during which the Mission Management Team, and Launch Control team will conduct polls to give a final "go" decision for launch
1:52 p.m. Countdown resumes at the T-9 minute mark
1:56 p.m. Auxiliary Power Units start at the T-5 minute mark
2:01:49 p.m. Atlantis launches on the STS-125 mission
2:10:19 p.m. Main Engine Cut Off (MECO)

Nasa's most dangerous ever shuttle mission to fix Hubble Telescope due to blast off

Nasa is set to dispatch seven astronauts on its most dangerous ever shuttle mission as it attempts to rescue the $7 billion Hubble Space Telescope from meltdown.
Led by former US Navy fighter pilot Scott Altman, 49, a one-time stunt flier for actor Tom Cruise in the film Top Gun, the crew of Atlantis will repair and upgrade the orbiting observatory, risking a potentially deadly space-junk collision that could leave them stranded 350 miles above Earth.
The mission, which is costing Nasa $1.4 billion and is due to blast off from Florida tomorrow, is considered so perilous that it was once cancelled by space agency chiefs who feared that it could cost the astronauts their lives.

It was resurrected only after they agreed to place a second shuttle and crew on emergency standby, ready to blast into space to save their colleagues should a catastrophe occur. The move is unprecedented in the 28-year history of the shuttle fleet.
'It’s a belt-and-suspenders kind of approach - but when your suspenders fail, you’re glad to have the belt,' said Cdr Altman, who is due to launch with his crew from Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral tomorrow evening, returning in 11 days.
'I don’t know if I’ll be breathing comfortably until our wheels stop back at KSC,' he added

Should a rescue become necessary, it would provide the greatest space drama since the abortive Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970, say Nasa insiders, when three astronauts limped their crippled spacecraft home just hours from death, following an on-board explosion.

Among the greatest hazards facing Atlantis is the intense amount of space junk - such as broken satellites and dead rockets - that is cluttering the area where the shuttle will rendezvous with Hubble.

Shuttle flights usually only go to the International Space Station no more than 250 miles up - but at 350 miles, where Hubble flies, the hazards are far greater.

If Atlantis suffers damage, the crew would be marooned.
Hubble is considered the most valuable astronomical tool since Galileo first designed a telescope in the 17th century.
Since 1990, its high-precision lenses have peered deeper into space than any previous instrument, glimpsing back more than 13 billion years in time to provide scientists with breathtaking images of the cosmos under development, showing galaxies not long after they merged from the Big Bang.
Orbiting Earth 97,000 times and travelling around three billion miles, it has sent back nearly 600,000 photographs that have forced the rewriting of astronomy textbooks and unlocked some of the greatest mysteries of the universe.
On Wednesday Atlantis will catch up with the Hubble, where the astronauts will use the shuttle’s robotic arm to grapple it while both craft orbit Earth at 17,500mph.

During five highly risky spacewalks, they will clamber aboard Hubble to repair and replace instruments contained inside, upgrading its capabilities and prolonging its life for another five years.
Without new cameras, gyroscopes and batteries, Hubble will otherwise burn out. But with the space shuttle fleet due to retire next year and its successor not due for completion until at least 2015, this is the last chance to fix its problems.
'The adrenalin is certainly pumping,' said Dr David Leckrone, Nasa’s senior Hubble scientist.
Astronaut John Grunsfeld likens the intricacy of the tasks he and his colleagues will perform to 'performing brain surgery in space.'
They will face major hurdles, such as unscrewing dozens of minute screws while wearing gloves five layers thick and removing razor-sharp circuit boards capable of piercing the $10 million spacesuits that keep them alive in the vacuum of space.
'I would consider this the climbing Mount Everest of spacewalking missions,' said Mr Grunsfeld, 51.
'The big unknowns are where we’re pushing the envelope further than its been done before in spaceflight…we’re trying some techniques that haven’t been done before.

'In training it’s been going very well…the only hesitation I have is that Hubble has a way of surprising us.'

There have been previous servicing missions to the Hubble, but this will be the last – and the most risky.
'You could say "Oh it’s going to be a piece of cake, we’ve done this five times" - except on this mission we are going to be repairing instruments that were never designed to be repaired in orbit,' explained Ed Weiler, Nasa’s associate administrator for science missions.
He added: 'This is really going to be tough, the toughest servicing mission we have ever attempted.'
Nasa promises that, if successful, Atlantis’s mission will allow Hubble to once more 'push the boundaries of how deep in space and how far back in time humanity can see.'
Cdr Altman, who said: 'It’s going to be a busy time, it is challenging - and it’s going to be amazing.'
Click on link below to read more about the mission.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1180135/Nasas-dangerous-shuttle-mission-fix-Hubble-Telescope-blast-off.html

Emergency Space Shuttle Moved Into Place
Friday, April 17, 2009
The space shuttle Endeavour rolled out to a Florida launch pad on Friday to stand by for an unprecedented rescue mission NASA hopes it never has to fly.

Endeavour arrived at Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., at 7:17 a.m. EDT (1117 GMT), where it will be primed to launch within weeks of any emergency aboard its sister ship Atlantis during next month's risky repair mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Atlantis is poised atop its own launch pad for a planned May 12 liftoff.

"It's the first time that anyone has had a rescue mission standing by," NASA spokesperson Allard Beutel told SPACE.com from the Florida spaceport. "We thought it gives us that amount of extra insurance."

Endeavour has actually made the trek to the launch pad once before to serve as the upcoming Hubble mission's rescue ship.

The shuttle was on standby last September until a failure aboard Hubble delayed a planned October launch for Atlantis.

Altogether, two orbiters have been at their launch pads simultaneously only 18 times in NASA's 28-year history of shuttle flight, Beutel said.

"We really do expect this to be the last time we ever have two space shuttles on the launch pad at the same time," he added.

Risky repair flight

NASA has said the likelihood of requiring a rescue mission for the seven Hubble-bound astronauts is extremely remote.

But the space agency is taking the precaution because unlike recent shuttle flights to the International Space Station, where astronauts could seek shelter if their spacecraft is severely damaged, the crew of Atlantis will have no such safe haven.

Commanded by veteran NASA astronaut Scott Altman, Atlantis is poised to launch toward Hubble on May 12 from Launch Pad 39A, which is near Endeavour's current perch.

The much-delayed mission is NASA's final shuttle flight to overhaul Hubble and includes five back-to-back spacewalks to repair broken equipment, add new instruments and extend the iconic space telescope's lifetime through at least 2014.

Because Hubble flies in a higher orbit and different inclination than the International Space Station, Atlantis would be unable to reach the orbiting laboratory if it suffers a critical failure or severe damage its vital heat shield.

The mission also includes a higher risk of damage from orbital debris or micrometeorites, though that risk increase appears to be lower than initially thought, NASA officials have said.

It is because of the lack of a safe haven aboard the station that NASA opted to prepare Endeavour for a potential rescue.

The shuttle is already slated to fly a space station construction mission in June, but will be primed to launch with a skeleton crew relatively soon after an emergency is declared, Beutel said.

"Within that timeframe, we would be prepared to launch Endeavour with a crew of four astronauts," Beutel said, adding that the Atlantis astronauts would stage several spacewalks to abandon their ship and return home aboard Endeavour. "We would then splash Atlantis down safely somewhere in the Pacific Ocean."

Shuttle double duty

If Atlantis's Hubble mission goes smoothly as planned, Endeavour would simply be moved to the adjacent launch pad in late May for a planned June 13 launch to the International Space Station, Beutel said.

NASA plans to launch its remaining shuttle missions from Launch Pad 39A and use the nearby Pad 39B for its new Ares I rocket and Orion capsules, which will replace the agency's space shuttle fleet, once Endeavour is moved, he added.

Over the weekend, NASA will deliver the hardware for Atlantis's Hubble mission to the shuttle's launch pad, offering a relatively rare sight of two shuttles exposed atop their pads with their shroud-like service structures retracted.

The two spacecraft are expected to be visible through Monday and will be photographed from the ground and air, Beutel said, adding that NASA expects about 50,000 people to visit the space center during a Saturday employee Family Day.

"I think people are really excited about it," Beutel said.