NASA Reports Everything On Track For July Launch

NASA engineers worked Thursday in the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center on last minute details in preparation for the space shuttle Discovery's rollout to the launchpad. The combined launch vehicle is scheduled to being the eight-hour, 4.2-mile trip to pad 39B at 0200 EDT Friday morning.

It's huge. Huge," KSC spokeswoman Tracy Young told Florida Today. "Rolling the shuttle out to the launch pad is a major milestone in returning the shuttle to flight."

Just one week ago, Discovery was moved into the VAB to be mated to its redesigned external fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters. That work was done over last weekend, with the last few days spent checking systems interface checks and inspections for leaks.

On Wednesday, the canister containing Discovery's cargo for its scheduled July mission to the International Space Station was moved to the launch pad (below.) The pod contains over two tons of supplies bound for the ISS, inside the Italian-made Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics module; as well as spare parts for the orbiter and the station.

Also contained in the cargo pod are intentionally damaged sample sections of the shuttle's ceramic-tile heat shield. NASA hopes there will be enough time during the shuttle mission for a third spacewalk to test repair techniques that could be used if portions of the shuttle's heat shield are damaged during launch, as they were during the 2002 launch of Columbia. That damage resulted in the loss of the orbiter during reentry.

The window for Discovery's next launch runs from July 1-19. NASA reports everything is on track for a July 1 launch, with several "spare" days built into the schedule between now and then in the event any unexpected issues crop up.

Even if all goes to plan, NASA engineers won't have very much time to relax after Discovery moves to the launch pad. That's because the external fuel tank for Atlantis will soon be on its way to Florida, in anticipation of the August 28 launch of that orbiter.

Repairs made to the ISS during Discovery's flight are expected to allow the crew of Atlantis to resume construction on the half-assembled station.

FMI: www.nasa.gov