NASA preparing Discovery for December launch

NASA preparing Discovery for December launch

US space agency NASA is preparing the Discovery Space Shuttle for a launch mission in December. The crew of this upcoming mission flew to Florida on Monday for several days of dress rehearsal.

The launch is scheduled for December 7 and the crew would travel to the International Space Station. The crew on this mission would be led by Commander Mark Polansky and they would run through emergency escapes from the launch pad, practice landing on Kennedy Space Center’s runway and learn how to put out fires on the shuttle.

Polansky spoke about their dress rehearsal plans: “It’s a chance for us to get a lot of training and see our vehicle on the pad for the first time.”

The mission is expected to last for around 12 days and it would rotate out a space station crew member. The crew would also rewire the space lab’s electrical system.

After the December mission, NASA is also planning another mission for March next year.