Shuttle Launch On Hold Until at Least December 17

November 29, 2010—The new news about Discovery’s launch to the International Space Station is actually old news. The launch has been delayed—again. NASA managers have confirmed space shuttle Discovery will launch no earlier than December 17 after determining that more tests and analysis were needed before proceeding with the STS-133 mission. Discovery was originally scheduled to launch on November 1. On November 23, the Program Requirements Control Board, or PRCB, reviewed repairs and engineering evaluations associated with cracks on two 21-foot-long, U-shaped aluminum brackets, called stringers, on the shuttle’s external tank. Managers decided the analysis and tests required to launch Discovery safely are not complete. The work will continue through this week, while today, technicians are to install reference dots on the ground umbilical carrier plate to monitor movement during tanking. The next status review by the PRCB will be Thursday. If managers clear Discovery for launch on December 17, the preferred time is about 8:51 p.m. EST. During Discovery’s final spaceflight, the crew will take important spare parts to the International Space Station. Discovery will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM), which was converted from the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo. The PMM will provide additional storage for the station crew and experiments may be conducted inside it, such as fluid physics, materials science, biology and biotechnology. Discovery also will carry critical spare components and the Express Logistics Carrier 4 (ELC4) to the station. Express, which stands for Expedite the Processing of Experiments to the Space Station, is an external platform that holds large equipment that can only be transported using the unique capability of the shuttle. The STS-133 mission will feature two spacewalks to do maintenance work and install new components. Robonaut 2, or R2, will be the first human-like robot in space when it flies on Discovery inside the PMM to become a permanent ISS resident. Discovery flew its maiden voyage on August 30, 1984. When Discovery retires after this mission, it will have flown into space 39 times - more than any other shuttle.

Technicians spray foam insulation on a section of repaired stringers on space shuttle Discovery’s external fuel tank. Photo credit: NASA Robonaut 2 is a state-of-the-art, highly dexterous anthropomorphic robot that will be a permanent resident on the International Space Station. Like its predecessor Robonaut 1 , R2 is capable of handling a wide range of EVA tools and interfaces, but it is also more compact, more dexterous and it is capable of speeds more than four times faster than R1. Photo credit: NASA

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