The Nation : Shuttle Dress Rehearsal

A dress-rehearsal countdown is under way at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the space shuttle Discovery, scheduled to blast off Jan. 23 on a secret mission to carry a spy satellite into orbit. The mock countdown is scheduled to end today with a computer-simulated ignition of the shuttle’s three main engines, a space agency spokesman said. The procedure is designed to make sure that the complex electrical and mechanical connections between the shuttle and ground systems are properly operating. Discovery’s military crew was scheduled to be aboard for part of the test. The launch time of the secret mission will not be disclosed to prevent Soviet tracking stations from locking on to the shuttle and its payload.