[sarex] Discovery Targeted for October Liftoff

[Arthur Rowe]

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468


Last week inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space 
Center in Florida, technicians attached the external tank to the twin 
solid rocket boosters. In the nearby Orbiter Processing Facility, 
Discovery's payload bay doors were closed as preparations continue in 
advance of the shuttle's move to the giant assembly building. The main 
payload for the mission, the U.S. Harmony Node 2 module for the 
International Space Station, will be loaded inside Discovery at the 
launch pad.

External tank
Image above: In the Vehicle Assembly Building, the external tank is 
lowered between the twin solid rocket boosters on the mobile launcher 
platform. Image credit: NASA/George Shelton
+ View larger image 
<http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/170419main_mate-lg.jpg>

*Mission Information*
+ STS-120 Mission Overview 
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts120/index.html>
+ Harmony Node 2 
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/harmony.html>
+ Space Shuttle Discovery 
<http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/shuttleoperations/orbiters/discovery-info.html>