Managers are giving a “go” for this morning’s 9:20 a.m. EDT departure of the modified 747 carrying shuttle Discovery from Edwards Air Force Base in California. Discovery’s “pathfinder” support aircraft will take off about 9 a.m.
Teams met at 7 a.m., to confirm Discovery’s readiness for the ferry flight and evaluate weather. Conditions in the southern United States have improved and are favorable for the 2,500 mile trip to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The first leg of the journey will take Discovery piggybacked on the 747, known as a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, to the Rick Husband International Airport in Amarillo, Texas.
Teams will evaluate the weather again once they’re in Amarillo to determine the next refueling stop. Their objective is to get to Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport, Louisiana this afternoon where they will stay overnight.
Managers plan to have Discovery back at Kennedy on Monday.
The ferry flight departure from Edwards will be carried live on NASA Television and online at www.nasa.gov/ntv.