Discovery Reaches the Vehicle Assembly Building

Posted on: May. 13th, 2006 || Source: nasa.gov | E-mail Article | Print Article

Discovery Reaches the Vehicle Assembly Building

A wave of excitement rippled across NASA's Kennedy Space Center on May 12 as the orbiter Discovery rolled out of its processing facility and into the nearby Vehicle Assembly Building. Inside, the shuttle's external tank and twin solid rocket boosters stand ready for the orbiter, which will soon be attached to the rest of the assembly. Space Shuttle Discovery is set to launch on the STS-121 mission, currently targeted for launch no earlier than July 1.

The flight will continue the evaluation of flight safety procedures, including shuttle inspection and repair techniques. It also will deliver more supplies and cargo for future station expansion.

Steve Lindsey will command the mission, flying with pilot Mark Kelly, spacewalkers Mike Fossum and Piers Sellers and mission specialists Stephanie Wilson and Lisa Nowak. European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter is also part of the crew and will remain on the station for several months. Reiter's arrival will give the station its first three-person crew since May 4, 2003.

Additional: NASA'S Space Shuttle Processing Status Report: S06-016, issued May 12, 2006.

Mission: STS-121 - 18th ISS Flight (ULF1.1) - Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
Vehicle: Discovery (OV-103)
Location: Vehicle Assembly Building
Launch Date: Launch Planning Window July 1-19, 2006 Launch Pad: 39B
Crew: Lindsey, Kelly, Sellers, Fossum, Nowak, Wilson and Reiter
Inclination/Orbit Altitude: 51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles

Discovery was moved today from Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3 to the Vehicle Assembly Building, a major step toward a launch to the International Space Station. Technicians and crane operators began preparations to lift Discovery into the assembly building's High Bay 3 and attach the shuttle to its external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters. After final integration, a crawler transporter is scheduled to carry Discovery to the launch pad May 19.

Discovery was scheduled to move Thursday, but a sheared left-hand jack screw on the lifting sling in the assembly building postponed the rollover until today. Both the right and left-hand screws were removed and replaced. The replacements were inspected, analyzed, proof loaded and installed on the sling.

The payloads that will launch aboard Discovery were loaded into the payload transportation canister this week and are scheduled to roll out to the launch pad on May 16. Discovery's payloads include the Italian-built logistics module, known as Leonardo, which will carry food, clothing, spare parts and research equipment to the station. Other payloads include two cargo carriers which contain heat shield tile samples, a spare pump module and a replacement mobile transporter reel assembly.
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