Technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida are removing the right-hand orbital maneuvering system pod from space shuttle Discovery as the shuttle moves through its processing schedule for STS-133. The OMS pod, which houses a large thruster and several smaller steering thrusters, will be taken to the Hypergolic Maintenance Facility after it is taken off Discovery. The oxygen tank for the shuttle’s Power Reactant Storage Distribution System is also being removed from Discovery as part of the processing. The PRSD provides reactants to the fuel cells during a flight to produce electricity.
The shuttle is targeted for launch Sept. 16 on the STS-133 mission to the International Space Station.