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Space Shuttle Endeavour now sits majestically at launch pad 39 A at the Kennedy Space Center, awaiting her historic final spaceflight on the STS-134 mission. Following her nighttime rollout to the pad, I was part of a lucky band of photographers and journalists permitted to travel along and participate in the ultimate photo op on a picture perfect day.
NASA allowed us to get breathtakingly close and document Endeavour from multiple absolutely awesome vantage points all around the launch pad from top to bottom. We were given access to shoot from the upper reaches of the launch gantry with stunning panoramic vistas of the Florida coastline to the bottom of the launch platform and standing directly beneath the External Tank and adjacent to the Twin Solid Rocket Boosters.
Here is part 1 of my photo album which focuses on the upper levels and includes our visit to the White Room – where the astronauts enter the crew hatch to board the shuttle orbiter to take their seats for the adventure of a lifetime.
With the shuttle era rapidly drawing to a close, NASA has opened up media access in ways not previously allowed so that we can share these rarely seen views of the shuttle with the public.
STS-134 will be the 25th and final flight for Space Shuttle Endeavour. Liftoff is set slated for April 19 with an all veteran crew of six, led by Shuttle Commander Mark Kelly.
Endeavour will haul the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) to orbit and attach this premiere science experiment to the truss structure of the International Space Station. AMS will search for dark matter and antimatter and seak to determine the origin of the universe.
Read more about the STS-134 mission in my prior reports here and here
gaseous oxygen vent hood – beanie cap. Credit: Ken Kremer
For context, the photos above were taken from the upper levels of the pad service structures at left (Rotating Service Structure and Fixed Service Structure) and the White Room attached to crew cabin at center. The Flame Trench is at bottom, center. Credit: Ken Kremer
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“Space Shuttle Endeavour awaits April 19 launch from Pad 39A at KSC” – that’s my clear favourite!!!
Fabulous photos, Ken. Must have been a thrill to be up there.
“”……..with humerous wind monitor””” — Ken, are you sure that balloon wind monitor you saw isn’t acually a scarecrow for owls and other large birds? I’ve seen those balloons with goofy pictures painted on them before and their main purpose is to scare away owls and other large hesting birds from an area.
Thanks to Ken, & NASA, for these stunning close up shots of shuttle Endeavour! How I wish I could be there to take my own shots & see an active shuttle before it is retired.
Let’s hope this mission isn’t held up for 3 months like Discovery was! I imagine that the engineers at NASA will have revised all the problems they had with Discovery before Endeavour was even rolled out to the launching pad. “Once bitten … “