Technicians finished pumping propellants out of the tanks in the orbital maneuvering and reaction control systems of space shuttle Discovery so they can replace two seals in a fuel line that had been leaking. The leak occurred at a flange where two propellant lines meet in the shuttle’s aft compartment. The line serves the orbital maneuvering system engines. The work is being done as Discovery stands at Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Work to replace the seals and reload propellants into the systems should be completed on Oct. 25 and is expected to still support Discovery’s targeted Nov. 1 launch date. NASA managers will meet Monday at Kennedy for the STS-133 Flight Readiness Review and are expected to set the official launch date.
The crew undergoes its L-10 day physicals today and a final bench review of its tools and flight equipment.