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I'm Greg Gaddis, NASA test director, and this is the Space Shuttle Minute, your NASA space shuttle update.
Technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center are operating in high gear processing two space shuttles,
Atlantis is undergoing preparations at the Orbiter Processing Facility or OPF for its
STS-125 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.
Technicians have installed Atlantis' main engines, using a pitch-and-yaw system to maneuver them into place.
During their 12-day venture into space, Atlantis crew members are scheduled for
five spacewalks to make repairs and upgrades to the Hubble Telescope.
The improvements will leave Hubble better than ever and ready for another five years, or more, of research.
Meanwhile, in high bay 2 of the OPF, an auxiliary power unit was replaced on Endeavour.
After Atlantis launches, Endeavour will be moved to pad A, poised to fly the STS-126 mission
delivering a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module to the International Space Station.
Endeavour will stand ready on Launch Pad 39B to be used for a rescue mission
in the unlikely event Atlantis has emergency in space.
This is the 17th time in NASA history that two vehicles are being readied for launch at the same time.
The most recent occasion was in 2001 when Atlantis and Discovery were side-by-side
on pads A and B in preparation for the STS-104 and STS-105 missions.
I'm Greg Gaddis and that's your Space Shuttle Minute.
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