. Earth Science News .
SHUTTLE NEWS
50-50 Chance Of Late Discovery Launch

Discovery Starts Crawling To The Launch Pad
 Cape Canaveral (SPX) Apr 07, 2005 - At 2:04 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Discovery began moving out of the VAB, beginning its trek to Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The rollout is one of the last major milestones before Discovery's launch on STS-114, currently targeted for the May 15 to June 3 time frame. NASA has determined that a small hairline crack in the foam on the Shuttle's External Tank is a minor imperfection that does not need repair.
  • See larger image.

    •  Houston (UPI) Apr 06, 2005
     NASA officials say there is a 50-50 chance the shuttle Discovery will not be ready for launch within the upcoming window in May.

    NASA spokesman William Parsons said delays in safety assessments and routine preflight preparations are making it hard to reach the goal of launching Discovery at the beginning of a 20-day window that begins May 15.

    However, he said he was confident the craft would be ready to begin its 12-day mission to the International Space Station before June 3, the New York Times reports.

    Parsons said while workers at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida have done everything they can to get the ship ready, a series of minor delays has used up all contingency days allowed in the schedule for unexpected problems.

    NASA's shuttles - Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour - have been grounded since the Columbia and its crew of seven were lost Feb. 1, 2003, in a fiery re-entry accident.

    Related Links
     SpaceDaily
     Search SpaceDaily
     Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express

    SHUTTLE NEWS
    New Abort Landing Site For Shuttle In Istres, France
     Marseille, France (SPX) Apr 04, 2005
     The United States and France have agreed that the Istres Air Force Base, near Marseille, will be a formal Transatlantic Abort Landing (TAL) site for space Shuttle launches when the fleet returns to flight later this year, Air & Cosmos recently reported.






    DISASTER MANAGEMENT
  • Insects, Viruses Could Hold Key For Better Human Teamwork In Disasters
  • Japan Signs Satellite Disaster Charter
  • Emergency: Maths To The Rescue
  • France's SPOT Satellites Assist In South Asia

    • CLIMATE SCIENCE
  • Climate: Hockey Sticks And Hobby Horses
  • New Research Indicates A 'Troubled' Greenhouse Is Brewing
  • NASA Study Finds Soot May Be Changing The Arctic Environment
  • Envisat Enables First Global Check Of Regional Methane Emissions

    • EARTH OBSERVATION
  • Remote Sensing Helps New Caledonia Monitor Sediment Erosion
  • Canadians Studying Space Weather Through Super Computer
  • St Petersburg And Lake Ladoga
  • Boeing Completes Work On The World's Most Detailed Terrain Data

    • ENERGY TECH
  • China, US Sign Deal For Cooperation In Clean Technologies
  • Experimental Acrobatics Leads To First Synthesis Of Ultracold Molecules
  • Japanese Companies Take Lead In Sustainable Development
  • Researchers Bridge Superconductivity Gap

    • EPIDEMICS
    FLORA AND FAUNA
  • Microbes In Colorful Yellowstone Hot Springs Fueled By Hydrogen
  • SAfrican Government Consults Scientists On Elephant Culling
  • NASA Analyzes Prehistoric Predator From The Past
  • Scientists Discover Unique Microbe In California's Largest Lake

    • FROTH AND BUBBLE
    ABOUT US
    The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement