NASA has filled the external fuel tank of the shuttle Discovery in preparation for a launch Tuesday at 11:38 a.m. /1538 UTC, but officials say rain and clouds may delay the liftoff.
Technicians pumped nearly two million liters of liquid oxygen and hydrogen into Discovery's giant orange external fuel tank at the launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Crew members have started to board the shuttle.
Discovery astronauts will install a pressurized compartment on the International Space Station. The compartment will serve as a docking port for the Japanese and European laboratories that will be launched on a later flight.
Discovery is expected to return to Earth on November 6.(source: Voice of america )
Space Shuttle Discovery (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103) is one of the three currently operational spacecraft in the Space Shuttle fleet of NASA, the space agency of the United States. (The other two are Atlantis and Endeavour.) When first flown in 1984, Discovery became the third operational Space Shuttle and is now the oldest shuttle in service. Discovery has performed both research and International Space Station (ISS) assembly missions.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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