WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

At Launch Pad 39B, the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier (LMC), supporting the Control Moment Gyroscope (right) and a tile repair sample box, is viewed before the orbiter's payload bay doors are closed for launch. Payload bay door closure is a significant milestone in the preparations of Discovery for the first Return to Flight mission, STS-114. Other payloads in the bay include the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello and the External Stowage Platform-2 (ESP-2). 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. Launch of STS-114 was set for July 13 at the conclusion of the mission's Flight Readiness Review yesterday.