Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-3749
katherine.trinidad@nasa.gov
Allard Beutel
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
allard.beutel@nasa.gov
MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-126
SHUTTLE DISCOVERY AT LAUNCH PAD; LAUNCH DRESS REHEARSAL NEXT
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - With space shuttle Discovery now at its launch
pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the next major milestone for the
upcoming STS-120 mission is a full launch dress rehearsal.
The shuttle arrived at the pad near noon EDT Sunday on top of a giant
vehicle called the crawler-transporter. The crawler-transporter began
carrying Discovery out of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building at 6:47
a.m., traveling less than 1 mph during the 3.4 mile journey.
Discovery was firmly on the launch pad, or hard down, at 1:15 p.m.
Discovery is targeted to launch Oct. 23 on a 14-day mission to the
International Space Station. The shuttle's seven crew members will
add a module to the space station that will serve as a port for
installing additional international laboratories. The crew also will
move the station's first set of solar arrays to a permanent location
and redeploy them.
Discovery's crew members are Commander Pam Melroy, Pilot George Zamka
and mission specialists Scott Parazynski, Stephanie Wilson, Doug
Wheelock, Daniel Tani and Paolo Nespoli of the European Space Agency.
Tani will remain aboard the station and return with the STS-122 crew,
targeted to launch Dec. 6. Current station Flight Engineer Clayton
Anderson will return to Earth aboard Discovery.
The STS-120 astronauts and ground crews will participate in a launch
dress rehearsal, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test,
or TCDT, from Oct. 7 to 10 at Kennedy. The test provides each shuttle
crew with an opportunity to participate in various simulated
countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and
emergency training.
The following are media events associated with the test. All times are
Eastern.
Oct. 7 - STS-120 Crew Arrival: The crew will arrive at 7 p.m. at the
Shuttle Landing Facility and make a statement. The arrival will not
be broadcast live but will be part of the NASA TV Video File.
Oct. 9 - STS-120 Crew Media Q&A: The crew will take media questions at
Launch Pad 39A at 8:15 a.m. The session will be carried live on NASA
TV.
Oct. 10 - STS-120 Crew Walkout Photo Opportunity: The astronauts will
depart from the Operations and Checkout Building at 7:45 a.m. in
their flight entry suits in preparation for the countdown
demonstration test at the launch pad. The walkout will not be
broadcast live but will be part of the NASA TV Video File.
Dates and times of events are subject to change. Schedule updates are
available at 321-867-2525.
New foreign media accreditation for these events is closed. U.S. media
without permanent Kennedy Space Center credentials must apply for
accreditation online by 4:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 4 at:
https://media.ksc.nasa.govTo attend crew arrival, reporters must pick up badges by 4 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 5, at the Pass and Identification Building on State Road
3.
For information about covering these events, including proper attire
and meeting locations, credentialed media should visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/media.htmlVideo b-roll of the terminal countdown demonstration test will be
available on the NASA TV Video File. For NASA TV downlink
information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntvFor information about the STS-120 mission and crew, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
