You're watching NASA Direct.
Next on the NASA Space Shuttle Status Report: Ready to fly! The Flight Readiness Review is complete
and NASA is set to launch Space Shuttle Discovery July 13, 2005.
Mission on Tap! With the launch day less than a week away, final preparations are under way at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
We have a mission overview for you. We'll take you from closeouts to countdown.
Stay right where you are. Space Shuttle Discovery is ready to return to flight and the NASA Space
Shuttle Status Report starts right now!
Music.
The Shuttle is on the launch pad, Discovery's cargo is loaded and NASA is poised to launch mission
STS-114 to the International Space Station.
I'm Kyle Dixon, NASA test director at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and this is the NASA Space Shuttle Status Report.
"Based on a very thorough and very successful Flight Readiness Review, we're currently go for launch of Discovery on July 13."
Following a Flight Readiness Review at Kennedy Space Center last week, NASA Administrator
Michael Griffin announced Discovery will be ready to launch on the first day of a launch window that begins July 13.
It will be a historical and exciting mission to complete never-before attempted on-orbit
inspections and to deliver parts, water, and supplies to the International Space Station.
Here's a brief mission rundown:
On mission STS-114, the seven-member crew will use the new Canadian-built inspection arm to perform
on-orbit inspections for the very first time of the panels on the leading edge of the wings and the
tiles on the underside of the orbiter. The "boom" as it is called is equipped with a video camera and laser measuring equipment.
Inside Discovery's cargo bay, the Italian-built logistics module, Raffaello, holds needed supplies,
hardware and equipment for the International Space Station, as well as the Human Research Facility 2 Rack.
During two scheduled spacewalks, the crew will install the External Stowage Platform-2, which is equipped with spare parts assemblies.
Inside the lightweight, multi-purpose experiment support structure is a replacement Control used to stabilize the space station.
With the launch date set, Kennedy Space Center and Johnson Space Center in Houston are busy with final preparations.
Here is a behind-the-scenes look at how the final days before flight will unfold.
Countdown milestones begin at Kennedy Space Center three days before launch on Sunday, July 10, at 6 p.m.
Final vehicle and facility closeouts begin at this time. "L minus 3," as it's called, is also when
the STS-114 crew will arrive flying their T-38 jets.
The crew is led by Commander Eileen Collins, and includes Pilot Jim "Vegas" Kelly, and Mission
Specialists Soichi Noguchi, Stephen Robinson, Andy Thomas, Wendy Lawrence and Charley Camarda.
Monday, July 11, is "L minus 2," or, two days before launch. The mid-deck and flight-deck
platforms are removed, and navigational systems are activated and tested.
Plus, final preparations on the Shuttle's three main engines for main propellant tanking and flight are complete.
Finally, on July 13, it's launch day! The Space Shuttle's External Tank is loaded with super-cold
propellants, a team heads to the launch pad for final inspections and the crew heads to the pad.
After the astronauts are secured in their seats, Discovery's crew hatch will be sealed at about 1:45 p.m.
A final go/no go poll is taken inside the Firing Room less than an hour before the preferred launch time of 3:51 p.m.
That's all the time we have for this week's Space Shuttle Status Report.
Stay with nasa tv and nasa-dot-gov as NASA safely Returns to Flight on mission STS-114 to the International Space Station July 13.
You will be able to see all the launch day activities right from your television set or computer screen.
Live coverage of all countdown milestones begins on NASA TV at 5:30 a.m. eastern time and on nasa-dot-gov beginning at 10 a.m.
Thank you for joining us today for the NASA Space Shuttle Status Report. I'm Kyle Dixon.