Endeavour's move to launch pad set

Cape Canaveral, Fla. -- The U.S. space agency says it will move space shuttle Endeavour to a Kennedy Space Center launch pad to act as a safety stand-by for space shuttle Atlantis.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said the move to Launch Pad 39B will occur next Thursday in preparation for shuttle Atlantis' mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. Endeavour will stand by in the event a rescue mission is necessary following Atlantis' Oct. 10 launch.

"After Endeavour is cleared from its duty as a rescue vehicle, it will move to Launch Pad 39A for the upcoming STS-126 mission to the International Space Station. That flight is targeted for launch Nov. 12," NASA said.

The first motion of the shuttle toward the launch pad next Thursday is scheduled for 12:01 a.m. EDT. The fully assembled space shuttle, consisting of its orbiter, external tank and twin solid rocket boosters, will be delivered to the pad atop a crawler-transporter that will take approximately seven hours to complete the 4.2-mile journey.

NASA television will provide live coverage of Endeavour's roll-out beginning at 6:30 a.m. that day.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.