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Discovery set for launch
The launch pad's Rotating Service Structure (RSS) was rolled away from Discovery at 3:38 p.m. on Monday. When in place, the giant enveloping appendage is used to install payloads into an orbiter's cargo bay and provide protection from inclement weather.
The vehicle's orange External Tank was being filled with 500,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and hydrogen. Engineers kept a close eye on a fuel sensor that malfunctioned on July 13, causing the cancellation of the first launch attempt.A ll four sensors were "performing as expected" during fueling operations.
"Everything is proceeding well," NASA spokeswoman Jessica Rye said at the Kennedy Space Center launchpad on the Florida seashore.
Should Tuesday's launch be called off, NASA still has until the end of the month to send Discovery into orbit so it can hook up with the orbiting ISS. After that, the next window for a daytime launch will be in September.
The vehicle's orange External Tank was being filled with 500,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and hydrogen. Engineers kept a close eye on a fuel sensor that malfunctioned on July 13, causing the cancellation of the first launch attempt.A ll four sensors were "performing as expected" during fueling operations.
"Everything is proceeding well," NASA spokeswoman Jessica Rye said at the Kennedy Space Center launchpad on the Florida seashore.
Should Tuesday's launch be called off, NASA still has until the end of the month to send Discovery into orbit so it can hook up with the orbiting ISS. After that, the next window for a daytime launch will be in September.
» Next Article in Space & Earth science: NEAR Mission Images Give Clues To Composition Of Asteroid Eros
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