NASA has confirmed 1401 EDT on 11May09 as the target for the launch of the HST Servicing mission.
They have also announced that they are laying off as of today the first 160 of about 900 Shuttle workers to free up funds so they will be able to remain within budget through the end of next year when the Shuttle fleet will be retired. They said that everyone being laid off right now is contractor personnel who are engaged in Shuttle construction. I would assume that the contractors have some subcontractors working on the Shuttle program and that these contractors to the contractors will be gin to jump ship and move to the private space industry causing an even faster trim down of the Shuttle program staff.
