Categories: Space Shuttle

RSS Rollback: Watch Endeavour Appear Before Your Eyes

This morning I had the opportunity to see up close the rollback of the Rotating Service Structure for space shuttle Endeavour on the launchpad for the STS-130 mission. The RSS protects the shuttle from any inclement weather while it is being readied for launch out on the pad. The rollback is the first big event in the cycle leading up to launch, so it means liftoff is not far away! The sight was absolutely amazing on such a beautiful sunny morning –albeit it was quite windy. I got chills when I first saw the right wing and the front windows of the orbiter appear (and it wasn’t because I was cold!) Currently, the wind is the only “if” about launching early Sunday morning at 4:39 am EST. Weather officials say there is an 80% chance of favorable conditions for liftoff. Since it is a night launch, it should be visible well up the East Coast of the US. I’ll have the good fortune to be just 3 miles away, about the closest anyone can be.

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy has been with Universe Today since 2004, and has published over 6,000 articles on space exploration, astronomy, science and technology. She is the author of two books: "Eight Years to the Moon: the History of the Apollo Missions," (2019) which shares the stories of 60 engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make landing on the Moon possible; and "Incredible Stories from Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos" (2016) tells the stories of those who work on NASA's robotic missions to explore the Solar System and beyond. Follow Nancy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Nancy_A and and Instagram at and https://www.instagram.com/nancyatkinson_ut/