Just before midnight Tuesday, space shuttle Discovery began its slow roll from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Riding aboard the crawler-transporter, the shuttle completed the 3.4-mile trip and was secured to the pad by 7 a.m. EST Wednesday. Within a few hours, the rotating service was closed around the shuttle to provide protection and access.
The seven astronauts for Discovery’s STS-131 mission, who are at Kennedy for their launch countdown dress rehearsal this week, were on-hand for the beginning of the move.