Discovery Shuttle Prepares to Leave Launch Pad

Shuttle technicians crowd around a monitor during landing gear checks for the Discovery orbiter. A boroscope was used to scan for cracks in the landing gear - none were found - after defects were detected in similar units aboard the Atlantis shuttle. CREDIT: NASA/KSC.

CAPE CANAVERAL - About two months since workers hailed Discovery's roll to the launch pad, they are about to move the shuttle back to Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building.

Overnight, starting at 2 a.m. Thursday, a crawler-transporter will carry the shuttle back along the crawlerway.

In the VAB, it will be mated with a new fuel tank that has a heater designed to prevent ice from forming.

Ice and insulating foam, like the piece that caused a deadly breach in Columbia's wing, are the most common sources of debris from the tank during launch.

Tests reveal that, without the new heater, ice buildup could be a problem on part of the tank as it is filled with cold propellants.

This morning, workers plan to test Discovery's auxiliary power units, which run the hydraulic system that helps steer the orbiter.

Meanwhile, they have completed up inspections of the ship's landing-gear doors.

A small crack on sister ship Atlantis prompted the checkup.

Unlike Atlantis, "inspections at this point show there are no indications of any cracks in that area," NASA spokeswoman Jessica Rye said Tuesday.

Discovery rolled out to Pad 39B on April 6 and is expected to roll out again in mid-June. NASA officials hope it will fly during a launch window that opens July 13.

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