NASA Gives 'Go' For Space Shuttle Discovery Launch On Aug. 25

Click here for more news / Clique aqui para mais notícias


CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA has completed a two-day review of space
shuttle Discovery's readiness for flight and selected Aug. 25 as the
official launch date for the STS-128 mission to the International
Space Station. Liftoff is scheduled for 1:36 a.m. EDT from NASA's
Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Discovery's launch date was announced after a flight readiness review
at Kennedy. During the meeting, senior NASA and contractor managers
assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the
shuttle's equipment, support systems and procedures are ready for
launch pending the resolution of one remaining issue. An orbiter
power controller that failed to operate properly was replaced, and an
analysis was completed. The issue is expected to be closed when final
data from the analysis is presented at the mission management team
meeting on Aug. 23.

The readiness review included a thorough discussion about foam
insulation that covers the shuttle's external fuel tank. The foam
helps prevent ice from developing when super-cold propellants are
loaded prior to launch. During shuttle Endeavour's liftoff on July
15, foam separated from the intertank area and the liquid oxygen
tank's ice frost ramps. The foam loss led to a detailed examination
that determined Discovery is acceptable to fly.

"There was an excellent discussion on foam loss that included input
from multiple teams including our NASA safety and engineering
communities," said Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for
Space Operations at NASA Headquarters in Washington, who chaired the
day and a half meeting. "After examining the foam releases on recent
flights and completing a lot of testing and analysis to improve our
understanding of the relative risks, we concluded that we're ready to
go fly. The teams are continuing to learn about foam and have planned
additional tests and analysis to continue to improve our
understanding of foam loss mechanisms and risks."

The 13-day flight will deliver science and storage racks, a freezer to
store research samples, a new sleeping compartment, an air
purification system and a treadmill named after comedian Stephen
Colbert. The name Colbert received the most entries in NASA's online
poll to name the station's Node 3. NASA named the node Tranquility.

Astronaut Rick Sturckow will command Discovery. He will be joined by
Pilot Kevin Ford and Mission Specialists Pat Forrester, Jose
Hernandez, Danny Olivas and European Space Agency astronaut Christer
Fuglesang. NASA astronaut Nicole Stott will fly to the complex aboard
Discovery to begin a three-month mission as a station resident. She
replaces NASA's Tim Kopra, who will return home on Discovery.

STS-128 will be Discovery's 37th mission and the 30th shuttle flight
dedicated to station assembly and maintenance. For more information
about STS-128, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

For more information on the space station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station