Written by Derek Kessler on
Monday, 01 October 2007
The Space Shuttle Discovery has reached Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The shuttle is planned for a launch on October 23rd on a mission to deliver the Italian-built Harmony Node to the International Space Station. Harmony is a critical connector for several future modules planned to be added to the ISS, including parts from Russia and Japan.
The current schedule allows for a launch window of only one day. There is another launch window between December 6 and 13, any time after that and the angle of sun on the station's solar panels would not be enough to power both the station and a docked shuttle. NASA had planned to launch five shuttle missions to the ISS this year in a race to meet the 2010 shuttle retirement deadline.
The first launch this year was delayed in February by a freak hailstorm that damafed the shuttle's external fuel tank while it sat on the launch pad. The shuttle had to be taken back into the massive Vehicle Assembly Building for repairs to the tank, which delayed the launch until June and pushed back the entire launch schedule.
NASA has planned 13 more ISS assembly flights and a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope for the next three years. If they are not able to launch Discovery in October of December because of technical or weather concerns, the next launch opportunity will not be available until early January.
Discovery will be commanded by veteran astronaut Pam Melroy, who will become the second woman to command a shuttle mission. She and the rest of the crew will board the shuttle next week for a practice launch countdown and emergency response training at the launch pad.
A firm launch date for Discovery will be set at a mission manager review, scheduled for Oct. 16 at KSC.
The Space Shuttle Discovery has reached Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The shuttle is planned for a launch on October 23rd on a mission to deliver the Italian-built Harmony Node to the International Space Station. Harmony is a critical connector for several future modules planned to be added to the ISS, including parts from Russia and Japan.
