NASA spacecraft Atlantis is gearing up for the scheduled July 8 launch to the International Space Station.
The STS-135 crew members climbed aboard the space shuttle on Friday for the countdown dress rehearsal.
The space shuttle Atlantis will carry a crew of four: Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim.
As part of the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT), the astronauts are driven to Kennedy's Launch Pad 39A and then are strapped into space shuttle Atlantis to practice the steps that will be taken on the launch day a couple of weeks from now.
Similar to the launch day, the four astronauts put on their bright orange launch-and-entry suits and traveled to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Astrovan. The crew climbed into the space shuttle Atlantis and participated in a countdown dress rehearsal.
Technicians in the payload change out room have manoeuvred the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module (MPLM) into Atlantis' payload bay at Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in this NASA handout image dated June 20, 2011. STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim are targeted to lift off on Atlantis July 8, taking with them the MPLM packed with supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. STS-135 will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis, the 37th shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program.REUTERSSpace shuttle Atlantis STS-135 (L to R) mission specialist Rex Walheim, mission specialist Sandra Magnus, pilot Douglas Hurley and commander Christopher Ferguson pose for a photo in the flame trench of launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida June 22, 2011.REUTERSSpace shuttle Atlantis STS-135 pilot Douglas Hurley waves after departing crew quarters for launch pad 39A during the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida June 23, 2011REUTERSPlumes, both large and small, spray water ice from multiple locations along the famed "tiger stripes" near the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus in this NASA handout photo released on June 22, 2011. The Cassini spacecraft has discovered the best evidence yet for a large-scale saltwater reservoir beneath the icy crust of Saturn's moon Enceladus. The data came from the spacecraft's direct analysis of salt-rich ice grains close to the jets ejected from the moon. The tiger stripes are fissures that spray icy particles, water vapor and organic compounds. More than 30 individual jets of different sizes can be seen in this image and more than 20 of them had not been identified before. This mosaic was created from two high-resolution images that were captured by the narrow-angle camera when NASA's Cassini spacecraft flew past Enceladus and through the jets on Nov. 21, 2009.REUTERSSpace shuttle Atlantis STS-135 crew (L to R) pilot Douglas Hurley, mission specialist Sandra Magnus, commander Christopher Ferguson and mission specialist Rex Walheim depart crew quarters for launch pad 39A during the Terminal Coundown Demonstration Test at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida June 23, 2011.REUTERS
