Fri, 07 May 2010 08:11:01 AM CDT

With liftoff now only a week away, final preps are under way for the launch of space shuttle Atlantis on its STS-132 mission to the International Space Station. Launch officially is set for May 14 at 2:20 p.m. EDT.

At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, technicians will close shuttle Atlantis' payload bay doors in support of payload operations.

Commander Ken Ham will lead the six-member astronaut crew during the 12-day flight. The astronauts are enjoying a second day off today before going into quarantine tonight in preparation for their upcoming mission. They're scheduled to arrive at Kennedy on Monday evening.

NASA's Pad Abort 1 flight test, a launch of the abort system designed for the Orion crew vehicle, lifted off at 9 a.m. EDT Thursday at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) near Las Cruces, N.M. The flight lasted about 135 seconds from launch until the crew module touchdown about a mile north of the launch pad.

The flight was the first fully-integrated test of this launch abort system design. The information gathered from the test will help refine design and analysis for future launch abort systems, resulting in safer and more reliable crew escape capability during rocket launch emergencies.