The Automated Transfer Vehicle-2, or ATV-2, docked with the International Space Station moments ago to bring supplies to the orbiting laboratory. The docking was important on Earth because, among other reasons, it clears the way for space shuttle Discovery to embark on its own mission to the station later today. The ATV is a European-made cargo spacecraft that automatically flies to the station. It carries no people. ATV-2, named Johannes Kepler, was launched by the European Space Agency last week on an Ariane V rocket.
At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery’s launch preparations continue on track for liftoff at 4:50 p.m. EST. The massive external fuel tank has been filled with cryogenic propellants and technicians are readying the white room for the astronauts.