On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians take temporary step pads into the intertank of space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank. The intertank is unpressurized and holds most of the tank's electrical components. It sits between the liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. Technicians will be working inside the intertank to further analyze two cracks that were found on the tank’s metal exterior. The foam cracked during initial loading operations for space shuttle Discovery’s launch attempt on Nov. 5. The cracks are on one of the stringers, which are the composite aluminum ribs located vertically on the intertank area.
Discovery's next launch attempt is no earlier than Nov. 30 at 4:02 a.m. EST. For more information on STS-133, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts133/. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller