Once More To The Gantry

The Aries launch pad. To me the piles of shingle blocking the crawlerway symbolised the cancellation of the Constellation back-to-the-Moon project that would have used rockets launched from this launch site, Pad 39B. In reality, the shingle was being spread to restore the crawlerways after the passgae of the caterpillar tracked Crawler Transporter bearing the STS 132 stack.
STS 132 on Pad 39A. Note the sweep of the Saturn Causeway and the gently rising ramp up to the launch pad.
The Rotating Service Structure has now been moved to surround the Atlantis as workers prepare it for a mid-May launch.
The now vacant Launch Pad 41, less than a day after an Atlas 5 lifted off from here to place the Air Force's X-37B spaceplane into orbit.

After lunch I took the public tour to the Pad 39 Observation Gantry to again view STS 132 on Pad 39A and to see the now empty Pad 41.

A Space Shuttle Main Engine mounted for public viewing in the Observation Gantry. I appreciated the way it was mounted, where one could view it from all angles, including directly below the engine bell.

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