The Space Shuttle Discovery atop the mobile launcher platform begins the climb up the ramp to Launch Pad 39B.

The Space Shuttle Discovery, atop the mobile launcher platform and crawler-transporter, begins the climb up the ramp to Launch Pad 39B. Traveling at 1 mph, the crawler-transporter takes about five hours to cover the journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad. Special levelers on the crawler-transporter keep the Space Shuttle vertical within plus or minus 10 minutes of arc about the dimensions of a basketball. Liftoff of Discovery on mission STS-96 is targeted for May 20 at 9:32 a.m. EDT. STS-96 is a logistics and resupply mission for the International Space Station, carrying such payloads as a Russian crane, the Strela; a U.S.-built crane; the Spacehab Oceaneering Space System Box (SHOSS), a logistics items carrier; and STARSHINE, a student-led experiment