Now that space shuttle Discovery is stacked for launch, technicians will spend today and tomorrow testing all the connections between the shuttle, external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters. The shuttle is inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, which is the launch site for all the agency’s crewed missions and the home of the space shuttle fleet.
Discovery’s six astronauts are practicing the launch of STS-133 today at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, home of the astronaut corps and mission control. Johnson is full of simulators and mock-ups to allow in-depth training, including a replica of the shuttle flight deck.