WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

In the Orbiter Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the port side payload bay door is closed on the orbiter Atlantis. Seen on the right, starboard, side is the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS). The 50-foot-long OBSS attaches to the Remote Manipulator System, or Shuttle arm, and is one of the new safety measures for Return to Flight. It equips the orbiter with cameras and laser systems to inspect the Shuttles Thermal Protection System while in space. Atlantis is scheduled to fly on the second Return to Flight mission, STS-121, targeted for launch in a window extending from Sept. 9 to Sept. 24.