Space Shuttle Program managers are meeting in Houston today for the first of two days of the Flight Readiness Review for Discovery’s STS-128 mission. The meeting leads to an executive-level review Aug. 18 to set the launch date for the mission. Both sessions cover potential issues in close detail and give managers and engineers an opportunity to carefully evaluate the shuttle’s preparation for its launch and mission. In the case of Discovery, the analysis will include recent data from testing on the external tank’s foam insulation. The areas under consideration are brackets related to the ice frost ramps on the outside of the upper part of the tank. The STS-128 mission is targeted for launch on Aug. 25 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
