Making Ready For Return To Flight

For the second time this year, the space shuttle Discovery was slowly rolled out to the Kennedy Space Center's Launchpad 39B Wednesday, making ready for a July 13th trip into space.

The shuttle had been all set to go in April. But the possibility of icing on the external fuel tank, along with other issues, forced a delay in the vaunted return to flight.

"After having gone in the backwards direction for a little bit of time, although we knew it was the right thing to do, it definitely feels good to be back on track, heading out to the pad," Stephanie Stilson, NASA's manager for Discovery, told Florida Today.

There were issues even in this particular rollout, however. An overheated bearing forced the crawler carrying Discovery to slow to half-speed. Workers eventually had to stop the snail-like procession to grease the bearing.

Perhaps two of those most interested in Discovery's progress were watching from far above. They were the two astronauts aboard the International Space Station, Discovery's destination July 13th.

"Sounds like a really good photo opportunity, and we'll do our best," astronaut John Phillips, aboard the ISS, said when informed that the shuttle was approaching the launch pad.

Now that the problems that forced Discovery off the launchpad in May appear to have been corrected, Stilson said. From this point forward, preparations for launch should be "routine."

FMI: www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/main