Just after sunset, space shuttle Discovery is attached to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Meanwhile, workers prepare to move the rotating service structure, which protects the shuttle from the elements and provides access inside, into place. It took the spacecraft about six hours to make the journey, known as "rollout," from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the pad. Rollout sets the stage for Discovery's STS-133 crew to practice countdown and launch procedures during the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test in mid-October.
Targeted to liftoff 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 International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin
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