Shuttle rolled back to launch pad
Posted: Thu, Jun 16, 2005, 8:14 AM ET (1214 GMT)
NASA returned the space shuttle Discovery to its launch pad on Wednesday, the latest milestone towards the shuttle's return to flight next month. Discovery, mounted on its external tank and solid rocket boosters, left the Vehicle Assembly Building at around 2 am EDT (0600 GMT) Wednesday, arriving at Pad 39B a little more than ten hours later. The rollout took longer than normal because the crawler transporter traveled at below-average speed and stopped frequently so engineers could examine overheating bearings on the crawler. The shuttle had been earlier rolled out to the pad in April, when the shuttle's launch was scheduled for May, but the shuttle was sent back to the VAB to fix a potential ice buildup problem on the external tank that was only revealed in tests completed after the first rollout. The arrival of the shuttle at the latest major milestone in the return to flight, with a launch currently scheduled for between July 13-31. A launch date will be set during a flight readiness review on June 29-30.
NASA returned the space shuttle Discovery to its launch pad on Wednesday, the latest milestone towards the shuttle's return to flight next month. Discovery, mounted on its external tank and solid rocket boosters, left the Vehicle Assembly Building at around 2 am EDT (0600 GMT) Wednesday, arriving at Pad 39B a little more than ten hours later. The rollout took longer than normal because the crawler transporter traveled at below-average speed and stopped frequently so engineers could examine overheating bearings on the crawler. The shuttle had been earlier rolled out to the pad in April, when the shuttle's launch was scheduled for May, but the shuttle was sent back to the VAB to fix a potential ice buildup problem on the external tank that was only revealed in tests completed after the first rollout. The arrival of the shuttle at the latest major milestone in the return to flight, with a launch currently scheduled for between July 13-31. A launch date will be set during a flight readiness review on June 29-30.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Tuesday, September 10
SpaceX set to launch Polaris Dawn crew on daring excursion into Earth’s radiation belts
CNN — 5:09 am ET (0909 GMT) Europa Clipper Go For Launch
SpacePolicyOnline.com — 5:09 am ET (0909 GMT) How the Space Force Can Better Tell Its Story
War on the Rocks — 5:08 am ET (0908 GMT) The Dawn of a New Frontier: Why Did the Commercialization of Space Happen?
Discover — 5:08 am ET (0908 GMT) China aims for historic Mars mission ‘around 2028’ as it vies for space power
CNN — 5:06 am ET (0906 GMT) |
