The call to stations at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is expected to begin this afternoon as the launch team takes its place for a tanking test scheduled to begin no earlier than Wednesday, Dec. 15. Technicians at Launch Pad 39A also are preparing space shuttle Discovery for the test which calls for dozens of instruments to be placed on the ribbed intertank region of Discovery’s external tank.
The test will help verify repairs associated with cracks on the tops of two 21-foot-long, U-shaped aluminum brackets, called stringers, on the external tank and help engineers determine what caused the cracks in the first place. Technicians repaired the cracks and reapplied foam insulation on the stringers last month.
Discovery’s STS-133 mission to the International Space Station. Discovery’s next launch opportunity is no earlier than Feb. 3 at 1:34 a.m. EST.