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Next on the NASA Space Shuttle Status Report:
Space Shuttle Discovery roared into space and successfully completed a 12-day Return to Flight mission after more
than two years of safety modifications. On August 9, Discovery glided to a picture-perfect,
pre-dawn landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California, concluding its 5.8-million-mile journey.
Now with focus set on another launch in spring 2006, all three of NASA's orbiters are currently
preparing for missions to the International Space Station. The NASA Space Shuttle Status Report starts right now.
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After a successful mission to deliver much-needed supplies to the International Space Station,
Space Shuttle Discovery is once again called upon to soar into space.
I'm Stephen Payne, NASA test director, and this is the NASA Space Shuttle Status Report.
In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3, work has picked up once again on Discovery in preparation for NASA's second test mission, STS-121.
Discovery will be used for the next mission instead of Atlantis.
Atlantis is needed to carry Space Station truss segments on STS-115 which are too heavy to be carried by Discovery.
Since landing, Discovery's orbiter boom sensor system, or OBSS, has been removed for a thorough checkout.
It will be reinstalled at a later date. The OBSS was flown for the first time on mission STS-114.
Also on Discovery, thermography and eddy current inspections are complete on the reinforced carbon-carbon.
Thermography uses high-intensity light to heat specific areas of the leading edge panels which are then immediately scanned with an infrared camera.
As the area cools, any damage to the area can be spotted.
The external tank that will help boost Discovery back into space is now at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.
Workers there will apply the orange foam coating using a modified technique to prevent foam from flaking off during the shuttle's ascent.
A pair of "Tiger Teams" continues to investigate the external tank foam loss during Discovery's July launch.
In a press conference, NASA Associate Administrator William Gerstenmaier said the teams
have identified the areas of concern and are making good progress.
An exciting milestone for orbiter Endeavour--
Workers cheered with excitement as the vehicle was powered up after a nearly two-year major modification period.
124 upgrades were completed, including installing the new Multi-Functional Electronic Display System,
also known as the "glass cockpit." More than 150 miles of wiring were inspected and 1,000 thermal tiles were bonded.
This was the second full orbiter modification conducted at Kennedy.
That's all the time we have for this week's Space Shuttle Status Report. Stay with NASA TV and NASA-dot-gov for the latest in mission news.
For the NASA Space Shuttle Status Report, I'm Stephen Payne.
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