NASA’s Space Shuttle Discovery to Move to Launch Pad Saturday

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Discovery is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on Saturday, May 3, as preparations for the STS-124 mission move forward. Discovery is targeted to lift off May 31 on a 13-day mission to the International Space Station.

The first motion of the shuttle out of Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building is scheduled for 12:01 a.m. EDT. The space shuttle vehicle, consisting of the orbiter, external tank and twin solid rocket boosters, was fully assembled on the mobile launcher platform and will be delivered to the pad atop a crawler transporter. The crawler slowly moves the shuttle out to the pad at less than 1 mph during its 3.4-mile journey. The process is expected to take approximately six hours.

NASA Television will provide live coverage of Discovery’s rollout to the launch pad starting at 6:30 a.m. Video highlights of the rollout will air on NASA TV Video File.

Media are invited to photograph the shuttle’s move to the pad and interview Discovery Flow Director Stephanie Stilson at 8 a.m. Saturday. Dates and times of this event are subject to change. Updates are available by calling 321-867-2525.

Media must arrive at Kennedy’s news center by 6 a.m. Saturday for transportation to the viewing area. Foreign news media accreditation for this event has closed. Foreign media with credentials must arrive at the Pass and I-D Building on State Road 3 by 6 a.m. for transportation to the news center. U.S. media without permanent Kennedy Space Center credentials must apply for accreditation online by 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 30, at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov
Badges must be picked up by 4 p.m. Friday, May 2, at the Pass and I-D Building on State Road 405.

The mission will deliver the Kibo laboratory’s large Japanese Pressurized Module, or JPM, and its remote manipulator system to the International Space Station. Three spacewalks will be conducted during the flight.

Discovery will be commanded by Mark Kelly. Ken Ham will be the pilot. The mission specialists are Karen Nyberg, Ron Garan, Mike Fossum, Greg Chamitoff and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide. Chamitoff will remain on the station as a resident crew member, replacing station Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman, who will return home on Discovery.

For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv