Space Shuttle Discovery is scheduled for roll-out from the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, Florida to launch pad 39-B on the morning of 14 June, following its mating last week with external tank (ET) 121. The tank was originally to be mated with Atlantis for mission STS 121. ET-121 has a new heater for the liquid oxygen feedline bellows area to prevent ice build-up. Discovery is expected to be launched in July on mission STS 114. Meanwhile, NASA has met all but three of the 15 Columbia accident investigation board’s recommendations for Space Shuttle return to flight, according to the Return To Flight Task Force Group. The three remaining issues are completion of fuel tank launch debris analysis, assessing Shuttle resistance to debris impact and reviewing techniques for repairing damage to the Shuttle’s thermal protection tiles.
Source: Flight International
