Discovery Set for Dec. 7 Launch

Published: Dec 01, 2006
Source: NASA



Led by Commander Mark Polansky, the STS-116 crew is set to arrive Sunday afternoon at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where they'll begin final preparations for launch. Flying T-38 trainer jets, the astronauts will land at the Shuttle Landing Facility about 4:15 p.m. EST.

NASA senior managers wrapped up the two-day flight readiness review on Nov. 29. At a press conference immediately following the review, William Gerstenmaier, NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations, announced Dec. 7 as the launch date for the STS-116 mission to the International Space Station.

The launch window for the STS-116 mission extends through Dec. 17. Primary payloads on the 12-day mission are the P5 integrated truss segment, SPACEHAB single logistics module and an integrated cargo carrier. The STS-116 mission will be the 20th flight to the station.continue..