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Next on the NASA Space Shuttle Status Report:
The crew of STS-121 takes a closer look at orbiter Discovery as it prepares for launch!
The NASA Space Shuttle Status Report starts right now.
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I'm Brian Meade, NASA test director, and this is the NASA Space Shuttle Status Report.
On February 17 and 18, six members of the space shuttle Discovery crew that will fly on mission
STS-121 participated in the Crew Equipment Interface Test, or CEIT, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The crew inspected mission hardware and flight equipment they will use on orbit,
and talked with reporters about the upcoming mission to the International Space Station.
The STS-121 crew is led by Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Mark Kelly and also includes Mission
Specialists Mike Fossum, Lisa Nowak, Stephanie Wilson, Piers Sellers and Thomas Reiter.
An important piece of flight hardware is Discovery's Forward Reaction Control System,
which helps to steer the vehicle and is now installed on Discovery.
Space shuttle main engines number two and three have been reinstalled in Discovery and leak checks were successfully completed.
Because the engines failed the previous leak checks, engineers evaluated seals at the
interfaces and decided to replace them with better fitting seals.
An empty barge that will transport the space shuttle's external fuel tank for the return to flight headed back to
NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans from Kennedy in Florida on February 16.
The barge began its return to Florida with the external tank to be used on mission STS-121, scheduled for launch no earlier than May.
The tanks were shipped back to Michoud for testing and new foam application review late in 2005
after pieces of foam came off the tank during Discovery's ascent in July.
That's all the time we have for this week's Space Shuttle Status Report -- your inside look at
NASA's three space shuttles as they prepare for flight!
Until our next report, stay with NASA TV and nasa.gov for the latest in mission news.
For the NASA Space Shuttle Status Report, I'm Brian Meade.
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