Discovery Space Shuttle Expected at Launch Pad by Noon


Riding atop the huge crawler-transporter, space shuttle Discovery is expected to arrive at Launch Pad 39A between 11:30 a.m. and noon and then to be secured to the pad by about 1 p.m. today. It has been making a slow move to the pad this morning from the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Aug. 25 is the targeted launch date for Discovery’s STS-128 mission to the International Space Station.

Discovery Readies for Station Resupply Flight

Space shuttle Discovery will carry the Leonardo supply module to the International Space Station during STS-128, along with a new crew member for the station, Nicole Stott. Commanded by veteran astronaut Rick "C.J." Sturckow, the mission is targeted to liftoff Aug. 25 to deliver refrigerator-sized racks full of equipment, including the COLBERT treadmill, an exercise device named after comedian Stephen Colbert. Stott will take the place of Tim Kopra, who moved into the station during STS-127. Pilot Kevin Ford and Mission Specialists Patrick Forrester, Jose Hernandez, John "Danny" Olivas and Sweden's Christer Fuglesang round out the crew.