Technicians prepare to remove the remote manipulator system or RMS arm in the payload bay of space shuttle Discovery.

In Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare to remove the remote manipulator system, or RMS, arm in the payload bay of space shuttle Discovery. The RMS is used to grab, or grapple, the payload as well as retrieve, repair and deploy satellites; provide a mobile extension ladder for spacewalking crewmembers; and be used as an inspection aid to allow flight crew members to view the orbiter’s or payload’s surfaces through a TV camera on the arm. Discovery is targeted to launch Aug. 6 on the STS-128 mission. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller