As they continue to install the main engine heat shields on space shuttle Discovery this week, technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida are beginning the preparations to connect the right orbital maneuvering system pod to the spacecraft. Workers also are installing the main landing gear wheel and tire assembly.
The processing is part of the work on Discovery leading up to the STS-133 mission targeted for launch Nov. 1. The astronauts completed the Crew Equipment Interface Test, or CEIT, on Saturday and are back at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Today, the crew will practice procedures for the mission’s first spacewalk.