Discovery's six STS-133 astronauts left NASA's Kennedy Space Center in their T-38 jets shortly after 3 p.m. EDT, Nov. 5, to return home to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Discovery's liftoff to the International Space Station was postponed because of a leak in the ground umbilical carrier plate (GUCP) at Launch Pad 39A, which prompted a scrub of Friday's launch attempt.
Mission managers also will look at a crack in the external tank foam that developed as supercold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen were being drained from the tank -- although the crack did not develop until after the launch attempt was called off.
Discovery's next possible launch opportunity comes Nov. 30 at 4:05 a.m. EST.
Discovery's liftoff to the International Space Station was postponed because of a leak in the ground umbilical carrier plate (GUCP) at Launch Pad 39A, which prompted a scrub of Friday's launch attempt.
Mission managers also will look at a crack in the external tank foam that developed as supercold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen were being drained from the tank -- although the crack did not develop until after the launch attempt was called off.
Discovery's next possible launch opportunity comes Nov. 30 at 4:05 a.m. EST.
Space Shuttle Mission: STS-133
Image above: The Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, or GUCP, on the launch pad Friday morning. Photo Credit: NASA TV› Hi-res Image
› Gigapan of Launch Pad 39A
Foam Crack Detail
› Hi-res Detail of Foam
During space shuttle Discovery's final spaceflight, the STS-133 crew members will take important spare parts to the International Space Station along with the Express Logistics Carrier-4. Discovery has been moved to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Additional Resources
› STS-133 Press Kit (3.3. Mb PDF)
› STS-133 Mission Summary (778 Kb PDF)
› STS-133
› Discovery facts (351 Kb PDF)
› Discovery's Career in Photos
All About the Orbiters
› Orbiter News
› Discovery Retrospective
› The Space Shuttle Era
› Space Shuttle Tribute Images
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