Space shuttle readies for February launch

Published: Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2009 11:12 a.m. MST
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — NASA has moved space shuttle Discovery to its launch pad for a February supply run to the international space station.

Discovery moved out to the pad Wednesday. Seven astronauts are scheduled to blast off around sunrise Feb. 12 with the space station's final set of solar wings. The crew will conduct four spacewalks to hook up the new equipment and perform maintenance.

The space shuttle also will deliver, if it's ready, a machine designed to turn astronauts' urine into safe drinking water. A similar processor that went up in November is not working.

One of Discovery's crew — Koichi Wakata — will replace an astronaut on the orbiting outpost and become the first Japanese to live up there.

Recent comments

I wonder which poor astronaut figured out it that it wasnt working?...

Anonymous | Jan. 14, 2009 at 12:12 p.m.

Bring some fresh water with ya! Sounds like, if the machine's not...

H2O | Jan. 14, 2009 at 11:20 a.m.

Image
John Raoux, Associated Press

Space shuttle Discovery atop the crawler transporter nears the end of it's 3.4 mile journey to pad 39A to prepare for the next launch at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday. Discovery is scheduled to launch on Feb. 12.

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