NASA Is on Schedule for May 15 Shuttle Liftoff

NASA scientists said Friday that preflight safety preparations at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida were progressing on schedule for a May 15 launch of the space shuttle Discovery.

Although the launch window could remain open through at least June 12, NASA Launch Director Michael D. Leinbach said at an online news briefing that the May 15 date felt “really good to me.”

“We will be flying much more safely than ever before,” said William Readdy, associate administrator for space operations.

The shuttle fleet has been grounded since the Feb. 1, 2003 accident that claimed the lives of seven astronauts aboard the shuttle Columbia. After the crash, NASA announced it would not return the shuttle to flight without unprecedented safeguards for future crews.

These include a camera system that enables astronauts to scan the hull of the orbiter for signs of damage after launch, as well as a repair kit.

The Columbia crew was unaware that some of the shuttle’s heat-shielding tiles were damaged by debris during its launch. When they returned from orbit, the extreme heat pierced the damaged hull and destroyed the ship and its crew.

Some critics have charged that the shuttle is an inherently unsafe vehicle and should never fly again, but NASA officials have maintained that with proper care and safeguards it can be used to finish the partially completed International Space Station.

“I can’t tell you how impressed I’ve been at the Kennedy Space Center,” Readdy said. Discovery and a second shuttle, Atlantis, “look like brand-new cars.” The second shuttle must be prepared for a rescue mission in the event Discovery cannot return to Earth.