Thursday, September 9, 2010

The orbiter DISCOVERY is rolled over to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for STS-133 launch preparations, on September 9, 2010.
NASA / Jack Pfaller

THE BEGINNING OF THE END...for Discovery, that is. Of course, I said the same thing about Atlantis when it launched on space shuttle flight STS-132 last May. But in Discovery’s case, today’s rollover to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida should indeed begin the final curtain call for NASA’s oldest orbiter. Discovery will be attached to its external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters later today in preparation for STS-133, scheduled for launch on November 1st. The space shuttle program, as of right now, is supposed to end after next February’s STS-134 mission with Endeavour. But if NASA includes an additional flight (STS-135) to launch next June as expected, then Atlantis will be assigned to that mission. That is all.

The orbiter DISCOVERY is rolled over to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for STS-133 launch preparations, on September 9, 2010.
NASA / Dimitri Gerondidakis

No comments:

Post a Comment