KSC-05pd-0057

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, the redesigned External Tank to be used on Return to Flight mission STS-114 waits in the transfer aisle after its move from the barge in the Launch Complex 39 Area Turn Basin. The tank will be raised from a horizontal to a vertical position, then lifted high up into a storage cell, or “checkout cell,” where it will undergo inspections of the mechanical, electrical and thermal protection systems. New processing activities resulting from redesign of the tank include inspection of the bipod heater and External Tank separation camera, which includes charging the camera batteries. The tank will be then prepared for mating to the Solid Rocket Boosters. When preparations are complete, the tank will be lifted from the checkout cell, moved across the transfer aisle and into High Bay 1, where it will be lowered and attached to the boosters, which are sitting on the Mobile Launch Platform.