Orbiter Moved To Vehicle Assembly Building

NASA's return to space took a significant step towards the heavens Friday, as the space shuttle Discovery was moved from its hangar to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to await attachment to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters.

Workers at Kennedy Space Center -- some holding a banner proclaiming "One Team, One Mission" -- watched as Discovery completed the hour-long trip over less than a fifth of a mile to the VAB. Many of them accompanied the orbiter along its path.

The move is a major milestone for NASA's shuttle program -- not only because it moves the shuttle into the VAB, but also that it means Discovery is now out of its hangar, where a series of accidents plagued earlier preparations.

Discovery is scheduled to be mated to the tank and SRBs in the coming week, before the completed assembly begins its long, slow trek to the launchpad, in anticipation of launch no sooner than July 1.

NASA reports the next shuttle flight -- the first since last July's flight of Discovery -- will continue the evaluation of flight safety procedures, including shuttle inspection and repair techniques. It also will deliver more supplies and cargo for future station expansion.

Steve Lindsey will command the mission, flying with pilot Mark Kelly, spacewalkers Mike Fossum and Piers Sellers and mission specialists Stephanie Wilson and Lisa Nowak. European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter is also part of the crew and will remain on the station for several months.

Reiter's arrival will give the station its first three-person crew since May 4, 2003.

FMI: www.nasa.gov