spacetoday.net: Shuttle cleared for March 11 launch

Shuttle cleared for March 11 launch

Posted: Thu, Mar 5, 2009, 7:06 AM ET (1206 GMT)

Shuttle managers agreed Wednesday to make preparations for the launch of the space shuttle Discovery on the evening of March 11 after resolving an issue with a key set of valves. Discovery is planned for launch at 9:20 pm EDT March 11 (0120 GMT March 12), a date that will be finalized at a flight readiness review on Friday. Technicians had replaced a set of flow control valves in the shuttle's main engine compartment while engineers performed additional analysis on what would happen if debris from those valves broke free. The extended analysis was warranted after a similar valve cracked on the last shuttle mission last November.