
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- As the early morning sky lights up, Space Shuttle Endeavour inches its way to Launch Pad 39B (on the horizon) via the crawlerway that leads from the Vehicle Assembly Building. The Shuttle is atop the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP). Visible beneath the MLP is the crawler-transporter, which moves on four double-tracked crawlers. Each shoe on the crawler track weighs a ton. Unloaded, the transporter weighs 6 million pounds and moves at 2 mph. The maximum speed of the loaded transporter is 1 mph. Endeavour is scheduled to be launched Nov. 30 at 10:01 p.m. EST on mission STS-97, the sixth construction flight to the International Space Station. Its payload includes the P6 Integrated Truss Structure and a photovoltaic (PV) module, with giant solar arrays that will provide power to the Station. The mission includes two spacewalks to complete the solar array connections
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NASA ID
KSC00padig052
Date Created
October 31, 2000
Center
KSC
Media Type
image
Location
Kennedy Space Center, FL
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Medium
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