SPACEPHOTOS

(03/17/2000) -- In the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), the orbiter Atlantis hangs suspended vertically from an overhead crane. Shown is the underside of the orbiter. The black-outlined rectangles near the wings are the location of the main landing gear doors. At the lower end, the two squares centered between the red corners are two of the connection points for the external tank. Another connection is at the top of the underside, between the two red areas shown there. The 122-foot-long orbiter is easily accommodated inside the 525-foot-tall, 518-foot-wide VAB. Atlantis will be mated with its external tank and solid rocket boosters before being transported to Launch Pad 39A. Atlantis will fly on mission STS-101 to the International Space Station, where its crew of seven will prepare the Station for the arrival of the next pressurized module, the Russian-built Zvezda. Atlantis is expected to launch no earlier than April 17, 2000