Discovery will be unveiled on the Launch Pad late Wednesday, as the protective Rotating Service Structure is pulled away. Photo Credit/NASA
The weather outlook remained favorable on Wednesday, as NASA readied the shuttle Discovery for her final flight, an 11-day assembly and supply mission to the International Space Station with a crew of six astronauts.
Lift off of Discovery was set for Thursday at 4:50 p.m., EST.
Forecasters predicted only a slight concern that scattered showers or low clouds would force a delay.
“Everything is on track and going beautifully with the countdown,” said Mike Moses, who chairs NASA’s Mission Management Team,. The MMT tracks countdown developments and makes the final “go-no go” launch decision.
“We are more than ready for tomorrow’s launch,” Moses said.
Big Crowds Expected
Large crowds of on-lookers are expected in Central Florida, with an 80 percent chance of sunny weather in the forecast and the approaching retirement of NASA’s shuttle program. The forecast remains largely the same — if there was a problem that forced a launch delay until Friday or Saturday, said Kathy Winters, of the U. S. Air Force, the shuttle launch weather officer.
“Discovery is a great ship,” NASA Launch Director Mike Leinbach reminisced on the eve of the 28-year-old spacecraft’s final flight. “This is the 39th mission. There would have been quite a few left in her, had the program been extended. But it was not. She will perform perfectly fine on orbit and bring the crew home safely. But landing day will be tough.”
Currently, NASA plans to launch Endeavour on her final mission on April 19. Atlantis will likely follow to close out the shuttle program sometime between late June and the end of August. The last missions will leave the space station prepared for at least another 10 years of operations, supported by newly developed U. S. commercial rockets and cargo craft flown by NASA’s partners in Europe, Russia and Japan.
One of those, the European Space Agency’s second Automated Transfer Vehicle, chased after the station on Wednesday and was on course to dock six hours ahead of Discovery’s lift off.
Discovery commander Steve Lindsey, center, confers with Kennedy Space Center Robert Cabana, left, and NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. Cabana and Bolden are former astronauts. Photo Credit/NASA Photo
Astronaut Steven Lindsey will command Discovery’s final flight. His crew includes pilot Eric Boe, flight engineers Mike Barratt and Nicole Stott and spacewalkers Al Drew and Steve Bowen.
They’ll begin to board the shuttle on Thursday about 1:30 p.m., well after Discovery has been fueled and inspected by a launch pad crew.
Discovery Overcomes Fuel Tank Problems
Initially scheduled to lift off in early November, Discovery’s departure was scrubbed on November 5 because of a launch pad hydrogen leak. Subsequently, technicians found a crack in the external fuel tank insulation. Further investigation revealed underlying cracks in the aluminum lithium metal of the tank’s support stringers. The leak and stringer repairs required months of troubleshooting.
“This was a very difficult problem to resolve. We fixed the tank, We are going to fly tomorrow, and it will work perfectly fine,” Leinbach predicted.
However, the tank will receive a thorough damage inspection before the launching is approved.
NASA’s senior orbiter will deliver an equipment storage module called Leonardo to the station, and an external platform to hold spare parts, including a thermal control system radiator.
Robonaut 2 Aboard Discovery
The orbiter also carries five tons of supplies and research gear, including Robonaut 2. The experimental robot will be unpacked in several weeks by station astronauts to undergo a long running evaluation of how well the mechanical man works along side humans.
During the shuttle visit, Drew and Bowen will conduct two station spacewalks.
With a lift off on Thursday, the shuttle astronauts would dock with the station on Saturday about 2:16 p.m., EST.
The first spacewalk is planned for Monday and the second on March 2.
Discovery would undock on March 5 and return to the Kennedy Space Center on March 7, touching down just before 1 p.m., EST.
Station Photo Shoot Possible
However, NASA and the Russians are considering a one day extension in which three of the station’s crew would undock in a Soyuz capsule and back away about 600 feet for a photo shoot of the station using high definition camcorders and still cameras.
The imagery would capture the station while Europe’s Johannes Kepler ATV; Japan’s H-2 Kounotori Transfer Vehicle; and Russian Soyuz and Progress capsules; as well as Discovery are docked.
Mission managers plan to make a decision on the photo shoot by the mid-way point of Discovery’s flight.