NASA gets ready for the May launch for Discovery

NASA gets ready for the May launch for Discovery

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) took an important step towards their goal of launching the Space Shuttle back into the space when they moved the Discovery to a launch pad in preparation for the launch. This would be Shuttle’s first journey into the space ever since the Columbia tragedy two years ago.

It took them 10.5 hours and a journey of 4.2 miles to complete the journey. It was somewhat delayed initially due to a hairline crack seen in the insulation covering Discovery’s external fuel tank. The engineers however decided that the two-inch-long crack did not require repair. NASA in a statement later clarified that the crack was high-up on the Shuttle and the insulation will not hit the vehicle even if it flies off.

The journey was witnessed by scores of NASA’s engineers and employees, tourists and reporters. NASA expects to dock the shuttle with the station within 3 days of the scheduled launch, which would be the 114th mission for the Space Shuttle.

NASA has worked extensively on some of the major redesigning on Space Shuttle components to make it safer after the Columbia Space Shuttle incident. And the original roll out plans which took place today were originally scheduled for the month of March but was delayed due to minor processing snags and technical issues.

The Space Organization looks good for the scheduled launch. However, it has cautioned the media about possible delays due to possible technical snags. They want to be sure about the safety of the Shuttle and the crew as this mission is very crucial for them to prove the Shuttle is still safe enough to make trips to the space.