[sarex] NASA'S Shuttle Discovery Begins Mission to the Space Station

[Arthur Rowe]

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

> Oct. 23, 2007
>
> June Malone
> Headquarters, Washington
> 202-358-1071
> june.e.malone at nasa.gov
>
> George Diller
> Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
> 321-867-2468
> george.h.diller at nasa.gov
>
> RELEASE: 07-231
>
> NASA'S SHUTTLE DISCOVERY BEGINS MISSION TO THE SPACE STATION
>
> CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The space shuttle Discovery and its 
> seven-member crew lifted off Tuesday, Oct. 23, from NASA's Kennedy 
> Space Center in Florida at 11:38 a.m. EDT to continue construction of 
> the International Space Station. 
>
> During the 14-day mission, designated STS-120, Discovery's crew will 
> continue construction of the space station with the installation of 
> the Harmony connecting module, also known as Node 2. The crew, led by 
> Commander Pam Melroy, will conduct five spacewalks during the 
> mission, four by shuttle crew members and one by the station's 
> Expedition 16 crew. 
>
> Discovery is scheduled to dock to the station on Thursday, Oct. 25. 
> The addition of the Harmony module sets the stage for the arrival of 
> new research laboratories from the European Space Agency and the 
> Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in upcoming shuttle missions. 
> During the mission, the STS-120 crew also will move the station's 
> Port 6 segment of the station's backbone, or truss, and its solar 
> arrays to a permanent position at the end of the truss' left side. 
>
> Joining Melroy on the STS-120 crew are Pilot George Zamka, mission 
> specialists Scott Parazynski, Doug Wheelock, Stephanie Wilson, Daniel 
> Tani and European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli. Tani will 
> serve as mission specialist aboard Discovery and join the Expedition 
> 16 Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko, who 
> arrived at the station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft Oct. 12. 
>
> Tani will rotate positions with station resident Clayton Anderson. 
> After five months on the station, Anderson will return with 
> Discovery's crew at the conclusion of the STS-120 mission. 
>
> This is the 120th space shuttle flight, the 34th flight for Discovery 
> and the 23rd U.S. flight to the International Space Station. 
>
> For more information about the STS-120 mission, including images and 
> interviews with the crew, visit:
>
> www.nasa.gov/shuttle 
>
> 	
> -end-
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