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Space shuttle Atlantis began its 3.4-mile journey to Launch Pad 39A
in the predawn darkness, leaving the Vehicle Assembly Building
at NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 6:38 a.m. on October 14.
Stacked with its solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank
on the mobile launcher platform, the shuttle's slow roll atop a crawler-transporter
took approximately six hours, reaching the seaside launch pad in the early afternoon.
At the pad, the STS-129 payload of equipment bound for the International Space Station
will be installed in Atlantis' cargo bay as technicians continue launch preparations
throughout the next month.
A crew of six astronauts will conduct this 31st space shuttle mission
dedicated to the assembly and maintenance of the space station.