Shuttle Astronauts Arrive at Florida Spaceport

by Tariq Malik, Senior Editor

Date: 08 March 2009 Time: 04:29 PM ET

Shuttle Crew Arrives at NASA Spaceport for Training

After their arrival at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility the STS-119 crew members head across the tarmac to greet the media for a question and answer session. Photo
CREDIT: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The seven astronauts set to launch into orbit aboard the space shuttle Discovery this week arrived at NASA?s Florida spaceport Sunday after weeks of delay.

Led by shuttle commander Lee Archambault, the astronauts landed their T-38 jets on a runway at NASA?s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., where they plan to launch toward the International Space Station Wednesday night at 9:20 p.m. EDT (0120 ?March 12 GMT).

?We?re ready to get going,? Archambault said from the runway after his crew?s afternoon arrival, which was broadcast live on NASA TV.

Archambault and his crew are poised to launch on a two-week construction mission to deliver the final segment of the space station?s backbone-like main truss and install the outpost?s last pair of U.S.-built solar arrays. Four spacewalks are planned for the mission.

Initially slated to launch on Feb. 12, Discovery?s STS-119 mission has been delayed several times due to concerns with the spacecraft?s three vital fuel control valves, which keep part of its attached external tank properly pressurized during liftoff.

NASA engineers replaced the valves twice and spent weeks analyzing them after a similar valve on the shuttle Endeavour cracked during its November 2008 launch. Endeavour reached orbit without incident, but NASA wanted to be sure the valves aboard Discovery were safe to fly.

Top mission managers announced Friday that Discovery was fit for its planned 14-day space station flight, the first of several construction missions scheduled for 2009. NASA?s final shuttle flight to overhaul the Hubble Space Telescope is also due to launch this May.

In addition to the new space station segment and solar wings, Discovery's crew will also set to ferry Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata to the orbiting laboratory. Wakata, a veteran spaceflyer for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, will replace NASA astronaut Sandra Magnus as a member of the space station?s current three-person Expedition 18 crew.

Magnus has lived aboard the space station since last November and is due to return aboard Discovery. Wakata is Japan?s first long-duration astronaut and will stay aboard the station until his replacement arrives in June.

?I?m excited to stay onboard the space station for a little while,? Wakata said.

New Video - Discovery?s Mission: Space Station Power Up!
New Show - NewSpace: The Orbital Industrial Revolution
Video - Danger at the Pad! Shuttle Escape Training