posted 06-23-2010 10:00 AM               

STS-133, the 35th shuttle mission to the International Space Station, will deliver the permanent multipurpose module Leonardo and the Express Logistics Carrier 4 (ELC-4) carrying spare components. The flight, which will include two spacewalks, will also launch Robonaut 2 (R2) to the space station.

Steven Lindsey will command Discovery's STS-133 crew. Eric Boe will serve as pilot. Mission specialists are Alvin Drew, Michael Barratt, Tim Kopra and Nicole Stott.

Planned as the 39th and final flight for Discovery (OV-103), STS-133 is targeted to launch on November 1, 2010.

Credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

On June 15 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, external tank 137 (ET-137) was lowered between STS-133's twin solid rocket boosters.

Credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

On June 14, in Orbiter Processing Facility-3 (OPF-3), Discovery was outfitted with the first of three main engines. Installation of the other two was completed the next day however, all three will be removed beginning June 24 to allow for the replacement of a turbo pump.

Credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

On June 14 in the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF), Express Logistics Carrier-4 was moved from the cargo element workstand to the carrier rotation stand for further processing.

posted 07-14-2010 12:36 PM               

STS-133 crew inspects flight hardware

The crew that will launch aboard space shuttle Discovery on its STS-133 mission participated in a crew equipment interface test, July 9 and 10 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. During the test, the crew inspected mission hardware and flight equipment they will use in space during Discovery's last scheduled flight.

posted 09-08-2010 05:46 AM               

Wednesday's scheduled rollover of space shuttle Discovery from the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) has been delayed at least 24 hours due to a water main break at Kennedy Space Center.

posted 09-09-2010 02:06 PM               

Space shuttle Discovery departs hangar for final flight

Space shuttle Discovery rolled out from its hangar for the last time on Thursday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, beginning the first leg of its final mission into space.

posted 09-10-2010 11:34 AM               

Shuttle Discovery mated with its final boosters and tank

Space shuttle Discovery was mated early Friday with the external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters that will launch it on its final flight into space.

posted 09-11-2010 09:18 AM               

Separation bolt issue fixed, final attachments under way

Technicians are completing the final attachments of space shuttle Discovery to its external fuel tank after resolving an issue with a main separation bold nut early Friday morning.

The nut slipped back into Discovery's aft compartment as technicians were attaching the left-side main separation bolt on the bottom of the shuttle to the external tank in the Vehicle Assembly Building. The right-side bolt already had been attached. No hardware was damaged in the incident.

After thoroughly evaluating the situation and developing a plan to fix the problem, technicians put up several platforms Friday night and used them to enter Discovery's aft section through an access door. They then moved the nut back into position and finished attaching the bold, which is used to separate Discovery from the external tank once the shuttle is in orbit.

Barring any further complications, Discovery should be fully attached to its external tank and two solid rocket boosters today, which would keep it on track to be rolled out to Launch Pad 39A as scheduled on Sept. 20.

posted 09-21-2010 03:31 AM               

Space shuttle Discovery makes last trip to launch pad

Space shuttle Discovery departed on its last rollout to the launch pad Monday, six weeks before it is due to embark on its final mission.

Discovery began the 3.4-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building at 7:23 p.m. EDT. Riding atop a mobile launch platform and Apollo-era crawler transporter with an average speed of 1 mph, Discovery took about six hours to arrive at Pad 39A. It was secured at the launch site by 1:49 a.m. EDT Tuesday.

posted 09-21-2010 05:04 PM               

On the launch pad with space shuttle Discovery

Hours after Discovery was secured atop Pad 39A, collectSPACE joined a small group of media for a rare opportunity to photograph the spacecraft from above and below during a tour of the launch complex...

posted 10-12-2010 08:33 AM               

Shuttle Discovery and the STS-133 crew will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, to the International Space Station.

Credit: NASA/Amanda Diller

On October 7, the STS-133 payload canister arrived at Launch Pad 39A, where it was lifted into the rotating service structure.

Credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

On October 11, the STS-133 payload was moved from the rotating service structure to space shuttle Discovery's payload bay.

The move paves the way for the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) this week, which will give the astronauts and teams at Kennedy and Johnson space centers a chance to practice launch day procedures.

Credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

posted 10-12-2010 04:42 PM               

Crew arrives for launch day rehearsal

STS-133 commander Steve Lindsey and his crew of five are at Kennedy Space Center for their Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training. Several days of in-depth training will be capped off with a full launch day run-through aboard space shuttle Discovery on Friday morning.

Lindsey, pilot Eric Boe and mission specialists Michael Barratt, Nicole Stott, Alvin Drew and Tim Kopra flew to Florida Tuesday afternoon. They landed at the Shuttle Landing Facility aboard NASA T-38 jets.

While at Kennedy this week, the crew will go through several training sessions, talk with the news media and conduct the practice launch countdown. The astronauts will return to Houston Friday afternoon.

posted 10-14-2010 10:40 AM               

Discovery's crew, media meet at launch pad

Space shuttle Discovery's crew talked this morning about their upcoming mission to the International Space Station, which is also the last flight of NASA's oldest active shuttle. The crew met with news media at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center where Discovery stands with its solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank.

"We are basically trained and ready to fly, just a few more weeks of activities to go through and then we'll hopefully be back here for an on-time launch Nov. 1," Commander Steve Lindsey said. This will be Lindsey's fifth time in space and the third time aboard Discovery. "It's a privilege for us to be able to fly Discovery's last flight," he said.

The astronauts are at Kennedy this week for the Terminal Countdown Demonstration test, or TCDT, which is a week of training that concludes with a full launch day dress rehearsal minus the liftoff. That practice session will come tomorrow and the crew will fly back to their training base at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston in the afternoon.

posted 10-18-2010 11:44 AM               

Discovery technicians work to resolve small leak

A small leak has been discovered in a propellant line for space shuttle Discovery's orbital maneuvering system engines.

The leak was found at a flange located at the interface where two propellant lines meet in the shuttle's aft compartment. The line carries a propellant called monomethyl hydrazine, one of two chemicals used to ignite the 6,000-pound thrust engines seen on either side of the shuttle's tail above the three main engines.

Engineers and technicians working on Discovery at Launch Pad 39A will tighten the six bolts around the suspect flange and re-evaluate for leaks.

If that doesn't work, the propellants already inside the tanks will be pumped out and technicians will replace its primary and secondary seals.

The processing schedule could allow the two seals to be replaced without delaying Discovery's targeted launch on Nov. 1. Program managers however, are being careful about making sure any potential fixes are indeed successful before pressing ahead with a countdown.

posted 10-19-2010 10:12 AM               

Flange Pressure Check on Tap Today for Discovery

Technicians working to stop a small leak found in a propellant line for shuttle Discovery’s orbital maneuvering system engines confirmed last night that the six bolts around the suspect flange were completely tightened.

During the process, the leak stopped.‪

Crews will perform a pressure check today to ensure there is no further leaking. Engineers are meeting to assess the issue‪.

posted 10-19-2010 04:30 PM               

Technicians to replace propellant line seals

Technicians will begin pumping out propellants inside Discovery's orbital maneuvering system engines and then replace the primary and secondary seals at a flange located where two propellant lines meet in the shuttle's aft compartment.

Replacing the seals will provide NASA managers with the highest confidence in the system, which had been leaking, and will allow the seals and flange to be inspected.

Preparations to drain the tanks and crossfeed line will begin Tuesday night. Work to replace the seals and reload propellants should be completed on Oct. 25.

The work is expected to still support Discovery's Nov. 1 launch date.

posted 10-25-2010 01:39 PM               

Seal replacement work completed, propellant tanks refilled

On Sunday, technicians completed replacing two seals where there previously was a small hypergolic fuel leak at Discovery's right-hand crossfeed line flange.

Discovery's four orbital maneuvering and reaction control systems tanks were subsequently refilled with propellants on Monday.

Technicians have now resumed preparing the spacecraft for its upcoming launch.

posted 10-25-2010 01:42 PM               

NASA sets STS-133 launch date for Discovery

Space shuttle Discovery is scheduled to begin an 11-day mission to the International Space Station with a launch at 4:40 p.m. EDT on Monday, Nov. 1, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The STS-133 mission is Discovery's final scheduled flight.

Discovery's launch date was announced Monday at the conclusion of a flight readiness review at Kennedy. During the meeting, senior NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle and station's equipment, support systems and personnel are ready.

The six astronauts for the mission will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) to the station. The PMM was converted from the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo and will provide additional storage for the station crew. Experiments in such fields as fluid physics, materials science, biology and biotechnology may be conducted inside the module. The PMM also carries Robonaut 2, the first human-like robot in space, which will become a permanent resident of the station. In addition, the flight will deliver critical spare parts and the Express Logistics Carrier 4, an external platform that holds large equipment.

STS-133 commander Steve Lindsey and his crew are scheduled to arrive at Kennedy on Thursday, Oct. 28, for final launch preparations. Joining Lindsey are pilot Eric Boe and mission Specialists Alvin Drew, Tim Kopra, Michael Barratt and Nicole Stott. Drew and Kopra will conduct two spacewalks to install new components and do some maintenance work.

STS-133 is the fourth and final shuttle mission planned for 2010. It is Discovery's 39th flight and 35th shuttle mission to the station.

posted 10-28-2010 03:48 PM               

STS-133 crew arrives for launch

STS-133 sommander Steve Lindsey and his crew arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida Thursday afternoon in preparation for Monday's launch of space shuttle Discovery.

Credit: collectSPACE/Robert Pearlman

"I want to say a word of thanks to the team here are Kennedy Space Center," Lindsey said, referring to repairs last weekend to a crossfeed flange inside Discovery. "They did a fantastic job getting it ready for us."

Lindsey, pilot Eric Boe and mission specialists Michael Barratt, Tim Kopra and Nicole Stott touched down at the Shuttle Landing Facility at about 3 p.m. EDT aboard three T-38 jet aircraft. Mission specialist Alvin Drew arrived at approximately 4 p.m. Drew's arrival was delayed due to an issue with his aircraft causing him and his pilot to return to Houston for another T-38.

Discovery and its astronauts will launch Monday at 4:40 p.m. EDT to take the Permanent Multipurpose Module to the International Space Station, along with experiments, supplies and equipment.

"We're really looking forward to getting up there and doing our part to add to it again," Barratt said.

posted 10-29-2010 07:30 AM               

Launch delayed at least one day due to leaks

NASA is evaluating helium and nitrogen leaks in the pressurization portion of space shuttle Discovery’s right-hand Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pod.

The leaks must be fixed before launch and the decision was made to delay picking up the launch countdown by at least a day.

The countdown, which had been scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. EDT today, has been reset to start at 2 p.m. Saturday. The next possible launch opportunity is Tuesday, Nov. 2, at 4:17 p.m. EDT.

These leaking helium and nitrogen seals are unrelated to the fuel leak that was repaired last week, also related to Discovery's right OMS pod.

posted 10-30-2010 08:23 AM               

Discovery's launch now targeted for Wednesday

NASA Test Director Jeff Spaulding said Saturday that the launch team is confident that repairs to quick-disconnect fittings in the system used to pressurize Discovery's right Orbital Maneuvering System engine will allow the shuttle to launch on Wednesday, Nov. 3 at 3:52 p.m. EDT.

"Right now we're in a good path to get there," Spaulding said.

The shuttle has until Sunday, Nov. 7, to launch the STS-133 mission in the current window, Spaulding said.

The weather forecast for a launch Wednesday calls for 70 percent chance of acceptable conditions, according to Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters. The main concerns are low clouds and the possibility of rain within 20 miles of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the shuttle's launch and landing site.

posted 10-31-2010 01:25 PM               

Countdown underway for Discovery's last launch

The STS-133 countdown began at 2:00 p.m. EDT on Sunday for a Wednesday, Nov. 3 launch of space shuttle Discovery at 3:52 p.m.

NASA Test Director Steve Payne said this morning that the work to repair the leaks is complete, the system is repressurized and work is on schedule for Discovery's launch.

The weather forecast remains at a 70 percent chance of favorable conditions at launch time.

posted 11-01-2010 11:02 AM               

NASA gives "go" for Discovery to launch Wednesday

The Shuttle Program Mission Management Team voted unanimously to proceed toward Discovery's liftoff at 3:52 p.m. Wednesday.

The weather forecast calls for a 70 percent chance of acceptable conditions at launch time. Those odds fall to 40 percent for Thursday. The launch window extends until Sunday.

At the launch pad, technicians were loading super-cold oxygen and hydrogen into Discovery's onboard tanks this morning. The hyroden and oxygen are going into Discovery's power reactant storage and distribution system that supplies the shuttle with electrical power during the mission. The process is often abbreviated to "PRSD load."

posted 11-02-2010 12:46 PM               

NASA assessing main engine controller issue on Discovery

During checkouts of space shuttle Discovery's three main engines, the backup controller for engine no. 3 did not turn on as expected. There appeared to be an issue with one of three power phases, which was narrowed down to either a cockpit circuit breaker or switch that provides power. The circuit breaker and switch were turned off and on, restoring power.

Engineers continue to analyze data that showed voltage irregularities and will meet Tuesday afternoon to review their data. The Mission Management Team will convene at 5 p.m. EDT to assess the issue.

posted 11-02-2010 04:58 PM               

Wednesday launch attempt scrubbed

NASA's space shuttle program mission management team decided to delay by at least one day the launch of shuttle Discovery to begin its 11-day STS-133 mission to the International Space Station.

The Rotating Service Structure will not be retracted tonight.

The delay enables engineers more time to evaluate data gathered after irregular electrical readings were received while powering up the shuttle main engines Tuesday morning.

posted 11-03-2010 05:42 PM               

Pressing ahead for a Thursday launch

NASA's shuttle program mission management team has decided to resume the STS-133 countdown to continue toward a 3:29 p.m. EDT Thursday launch for Discovery.

After looking deeply into "voltage irregularities" with Discovery's no. 3 main engine controller, managers said they were confident that the issue has been resolved. The team therefore gave a unanimous "go" for Discovery's launch Thursday.

"From the vehicle perspective, we're ready to go," Michael Moses, mission management team (MMT) chair said.

However, the weather forecast calls for just a 20 percent chance of acceptable conditions, with the concerns being low clouds and rain within 20 miles of the Shuttle Landing Facility at the time of launch. The MMT will meet at 5:30 a.m. Thursday to consider the forecast to decide whether to fill Discovery's external tank for launch.

"The weather still looks pretty bad for tomorrow," Moses said. "There is a chance we'll decide not to spend one of our opportunities."

The rotating service structure at Pad 39A was originally scheduled to roll back at 6:30 p.m. but passing thunderstorms delayed first motion by about an hour and a half.

The launch countdown is set to resume at 11:04 p.m.

posted 11-04-2010 05:17 AM               

Launch attempt scrubbed due to weather

NASA has delayed Discovery's launch for 24 hours due to rain and gusting winds at Kennedy Space Center.

Mission managers will meet tomorrow at 5 a.m. EDT to reevaluate the forecasts. Friday's launch attempt would be at 3:04 p.m. EDT.

Forecasts call for a 60 percent chance of acceptable conditions for a launch on Friday. The primary concern is high winds in the wake of a cold front moving through Central Florida.

posted 11-04-2010 10:12 PM               

For continuing updates, see: STS-133: Flight Day Journal