WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

Looking from the Press Site across the Turn Basin at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, the American flag is at half-mast in remembrance of Pope John Paul II. In the background is Space Shuttle Discovery in a more uplifting moment as she marks a major milestone for Return to Flight, rolling out to Launch Pad 39B. First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building was at 2:04 p.m. EDT. The Shuttle sits atop the Mobile Launcher Platform, which is moved by the Crawler-Transporter underneath. The Crawler is 20 feet high, 131 feet long and 114 feet wide. It moves on eight tracks, each containing 57 shoes, or cleats, weighing one ton each. Loaded with the Space Shuttle, the Crawler can move at a maximum speed of approximately 1 mile an hour. A leveling system in the Crawler keeps the Shuttle vertical while negotiating the 5 percent grade leading to the top of the launch pad. Launch of Discovery on its Return to Flight mission, STS-114, is targeted for May 15 with a launch window that extends to June 3. During its 12-day mission, Discoverys seven-person crew will test new hardware and techniques to improve Shuttle safety, as well as deliver supplies to the International Space Station. Discovery was moved on March 29 from the Orbiter Processing Facility to the VAB and attached to its propulsion elements, a redesigned ET and twin SRBs.