A yellow metal sling lowers shuttle Discovery to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters.

In High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a large yellow, metal sling lowers shuttle Discovery to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters. The lift and mate operation began Sept. 9 and wrapped up early Sept. 10. Discovery is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A later this month in preparation for its launch to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission.

Targeted to lift off Nov. 1, Discovery will take the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 (R2) to the station. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller