Discovery's Launchpad Transfer Postponed Until Wednesday

SHUTTLE NEWS

Discovery in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Image credit: NASA/KSC.

Washington (AFP) Jun 14, 2005
Officials have postponed the US Space Shuttle Discovery's transfer to its launchpad until Wednesday, a spokesman at Florida's Kennedy Space Center said. The transfer is set to begin at 0400 GMT and should take about six hours.

As part of the process, Discovery will be outfitted with a new external gas tank and two booster rockets.

The seven-member Discovery crew is slated to carry out the first shuttle mission since the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart in midair on February 1, 2003, killing all seven astronauts on board.

The 12-day mission, set to begin between July 13 and 31, will take the Discovery crew to the International Space Station, to test safety modifications made to the shuttles after the Columbia disaster.

The shuttle will also be loaded with the Italian module Raffaello, which it will bring to the space station.

If Discovery is not able to launch within the July 13-31 window, the US space agency will have to wait until mid-September to try again.

SHUTTLE NEWS

NASA Must Meet Three Requirments Before Shuttle Flight

Washington (AFP) Jun 09, 2005
The US space agency still has to meet three conditions before manned shuttle flights can resume as planned in July, according to a group of experts tasked with evaluating the shuttle's readiness.

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