Shuttle Discovery moved to assembly building

[Ripley]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/03/29/space.shuttle.reut/index.html

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) -- NASA passed a significant milestone in its two-year quest to return the shuttle fleet to flight when shuttle Discovery left its processing hangar early Tuesday and made a quarter-mile journey to the assembly building.

The move was the first tangible sign that NASA is beyond focusing on vehicle improvements after the 2003 Columbia space shuttle disaster and has turned its attention to something it has done 113 times already: preparing a space shuttle for launch.

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A newly designed external fuel tank and twin solid rocket motors already are positioned inside the massive assembly building, awaiting Discovery's arrival. Workers plan to attach a harness around the 100-ton spaceship, then use an overhead crane to hoist it into a vertical position so it can be attached to the fuel tank. The booster rockets already have been bolted to the tank.

Completing the dozens of mechanical and electrical connections will take another day, then several days of testing and certification are planned. NASA is scheduled to move Discovery to the launch pad next Monday.

Best of luck to the new crew.

[XNASA]

1. Can't wait for Return to Flight 2.

This country could stand to hear something positive right about now.

[Ripley]

2. I hope Discovery flies without a hitch...

But I have a terrible feeling in my gut. They really need to be working on the replacement vehicles for these old, over-the-hill orbiters instead of this cockeyed manned mission to Mars crap. If we can't even reliably utilize the ISS, how can we get to freaking Mars?!

[concord]

3. Discovery's a good ship

She's solid and not glitchy.

Worry not :)