STS-116 crew members gather in front of the white solid rocket boosters and external tank of shuttle Discovery (Image: NASA)
NASA will launch the shuttle Discovery on 7 December on a 12-day mission, officials said Wednesday. The mission will continue the construction of the International Space Station.
Weather conditions permitting, Discovery will launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 2135 EST (0235 GMT Friday). The seven-member crew will include Swedish astronaut Christer Fuglesang of the European Space Agency, who will be making his first spaceflight.
The launch will be the third and final shuttle launch of 2006. NASA is planning 13 more shuttle flights to complete the ISS, before the fleet retires in by 2010.
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The 7 December flight will be the first night launch since late 2002. The three launches since the Columbia tragedy in February 2003 were all scheduled during daylight. That was to allow cameras on the ground and on the shuttle to take images of the spacecraft’s exterior fuel tank, to spot any pieces of foam insulation or ice that might break off during lift-off.
It was a piece of insulating foam that fatally damaged Columbia’s heat shield shortly after launch, causing the craft to disintegrate upon re-entry to Earth’s atmosphere, with the loss of all seven crew members.
NASA confirmed the 7 December launch date after a two-day mission review. “There was no dissenting opinion for a night launch,” said Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA’s associate administrator for space operations, at a news conference. The launch window for Discovery runs to 17 December, with the next window opening in mid-January 2007.
Discovery will transport a new $11-million truss segment for the ISS that will be installed during a spacewalk. Two other spacewalks are planned to rewire the space station, switching the temporary electricity system to a permanent one.
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