Technicians in Orbiter Processing Facility-3 and the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida are putting the finishing touches on preparations today that will set the stage for several important processing milestones next week. In the OPF, space shuttle Discovery is being readied before its three main engines are installed beginning Monday. Also, workers will waterproof sections of the shuttle’s tiled heat shield throughout the weekend.
In the VAB, workers are getting ready for Tuesday’s operation to lower the external fuel tank for Discovery’s STS-133 mission into place between the twin solid rocket boosters that will help lift Discovery and its crew into space.
The astronauts who will fly Discovery to the International Space Station during STS-133 are rehearsing the launch and ascent in the motion-base simulator at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The simulator is an exact duplicate of the shuttle’s flight deck that allows crews to practice all sorts of launch and landing scenarios safely.