KSC-2009-3955

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-127 crew members pose for the traditional portrait after breakfast on launch day. From left are Mission Specialists Tom Marshburn, Julie Payette of the Canadian Space Agency, and Dave Wolf; Commander Mark Polansky; Pilot Doug Hurley; and Mission Specialists Christopher Cassidy and Tim Kopra, who will remain on the International Space Station as the Expedition 20 flight engineer. Liftoff of space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission is scheduled for 7:13 p.m. EDT. This is the third launch attempt for the STS-127 mission. The first two attempts on June 13 and June 17 were scrubbed when a hydrogen gas leak occurred during tanking due to a misaligned Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate. Mission managers also decided to delay tanking on July 11 for a launch attempt later in the day to allow engineers and safety personnel time to analyze data captured during lightning strikes near the pad on July 10. Endeavour will deliver the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility, or JEM-EF, and the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section, or ELM-ES, in the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory complex on the International Space Station. STS-127 is the 29th flight for the assembly of the space station and the 127th flight in the Space Shuttle Program. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett