Discovery Is Moved to Launch Pad
NASA hauled Discovery to the launch pad Friday in preparation for only the second liftoff of a space shuttle since the Columbia disaster three years ago.
Discovery’s trek of a little more than four miles from the Vehicle Assembly Building took almost eight hours. The shuttle, attached to an orange fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters, crept toward the pad atop a gigantic transport vehicle that resembled four huge bulldozers.
The launch is planned for a July 1-19 window.
Program manager Wayne Hale said that he was confident Discovery would fly in July and that NASA would be able to launch two more shuttle flights this year.
After Discovery’s mission last summer, the shuttle fleet was grounded because foam insulation continued to snap off the external fuel tank. On Columbia’s final mission, a chunk of foam knocked a hole in the spacecraft’s wing, causing it to shatter as it returned to Earth, killing all seven astronauts.
Engineers are still analyzing tests on the redesigned external tank, but Hale said the data looked good. A final decision on whether to launch in July will not come until mid-June.
“We’re going to meet all the factors of safety or we’re not going to fly,” Hale said.
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