Shuttle Atlantis Launch Schedule: 5-11-2009

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the loading of about 500,000 gallons of liquid propellants into space shuttle Atlantis' external tank is complete. Now in "stable replenish," the tank will be continuously topped off until the final minutes of the countdown.

The countdown clock is holding at T-3 hours for two hours and 30 minutes. Liftoff of space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-125 mission remains on schedule for 2:01 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39A.

Mission to Service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope

Veteran astronaut Scott Altman will command the final space shuttle mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, and retired Navy Capt. Gregory C. Johnson will serve as pilot. Mission specialists rounding out the crew are: veteran spacewalkers John Grunsfeld and Mike Massimino, and first-time space fliers Andrew Feustel, Michael Good and Megan McArthur.

During the 11-day mission's five spacewalks, astronauts will install two new instruments, repair two inactive ones and perform the component replacements that will keep the telescope functioning into at least 2014.

In addition to the originally scheduled work, Atlantis also will carry a replacement Science Instrument Command and Data Handling Unit for Hubble. Astronauts will install the unit on the telescope, removing the one that stopped working on Sept. 27, 2008, delaying the servicing mission until the replacement was ready.

Shuttle Launch Schedule 2009 Dates

May 11, 2009 - Atlantis
May 27, 2009 - Soyuz TMA-15
June 13, 2009 - Endeavour
July 24, 2009 - ISS Progress 34
Aug. 6, 2009 - Discovery
Sept. 1, 2009 - H-IIB
Sept. 30, 2009 - Soyuz TMA-16
Oct. 15, 2009 - ISS Progress 35
Nov. 10, 2009 - Russian Proton
Nov. 12, 2009 - Atlantis
Dec. 7, 2009 - Soyuz TMA-17
Dec. 26, 2009 - ISS Progress 36

By NASA