Space Shuttle Discovery Preparing for Launching

The Discovery space shuttle has been transferred from the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 to the Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building to prepare for the May 31 launching. The shuttle will be lifted and mated with its external tank and solid rocket boosters–all designated for the International Space Station’s mission STS-124 where one crewmember will be traded to go home, while the station will become larger in size by one unit—the Japanese Kibo laboratory–a big unit the size of a bus once the Discovery delivers its cargo.

The seven crew mission will be commanded by Mark Kelly, a veteran in the field of space. “We’re really excited to be within 30 days [of liftoff],” Kelly told reporters this week. “We’re looking forward to the next three weeks of training and then the launch.” Part of the mission will be three spacewalks, with one specifically targeted to install Japan’s largest 37-foot laboratory planned for any of the ISS’s missions. The final step of Discovery’s journey will be on Saturday, May 3, when the space shuttle will leave the Kennedy Space Center to make the 3.4-mile trek to Launch Pad 39A.

The third of five shuttle launches planned this year, there are ten remaining shuttle launches planned before its retirement for the$100 billion space station. Also, one final servicing call is planned for the Hubble Space Telescope this coming fall by the U.S. space agency by the shuttle team. Retiring due to its safety issues, its early retirement is also to conserve financially for the development of the new spaceships traveling to the moon and low-orbit Earth, replacing the Mars human exploration missions.

The upcoming Discovery mission will include five new first-time crewmembers and two experienced veterans—Mark Kelly has two previous spaceflights under his belt and Michael Fossum, lead spacewalker, has one spaceflight prior to this one. Crewmembers include Akihiko Hoshide from Japan who is in charge of the Kibo, Ken Ham-pilot, Ron Garan-spacewalker, Karen Nyberg, and Greg Chamitoff-space station flight engineer who will replace Garrett Reisman.

Compared to the stress and trouble of previous shuttle missions, the Discovery’s launch preparations have had no problems to the point that there is seven days of what they consider “cushion time”—unheard of in previous preparations—to prepare and handle any unforeseen issues that may develop. Not that anyone is complaining, mind you!!