KSC-05pd-1093

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Orbiter Atlantis in NASA’s Orbiter Processing Facility, bay 1, Charles Wassen, orbiter inspector, on steps in the open door of the main landing gear helps with boroscope inspection on the retract link assembly. At left in the chair, Dave Rumpf, materials and processing engineer, observes results on a monitor. At right are Jessie McEnulty (in hat), mechanisms engineer, and Tony Glass, orbiter inspector, a member of the micro inspection team. To lower the main landing gear, a mechanical linkage released by each gear actuates the doors to the open position. The landing gear reach the full-down and extended position with 10 seconds and are locked in the down position by spring-loaded downlock bungees Atlantis is scheduled to launch in September 2005 on the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121.