KSC-05pd-0473

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - During Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT) at SPACEHAB in Cape Canaveral, Fla., STS-114 Mission Specialists Soichi Noguchi (left) and Andrew Thomas (right) check out a component on the External Stowage Platform-2 (ESP2). Noguchi is with the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency. As payload on Space Shuttle Discovery’s Return to Flight mission, the ESP2 will carry replacement parts, known as orbital replacement units (ORU) to the International Space Station. The platform will be deployed and attached to the Station’s airlock and will be used as a permanent spare parts facility. The launch window for STS-114 is May 15 to June 3, 2005. Earlier, during CEIT in the Space Station Processing Facility, the crew also inspected the resupply stowage racks installed in the Italian-built Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello and performed tool and equipment interface checks with the Thermal Protection System (TPS) repair sample box, and the Control Moment Gyroscope (CMG) in preparation for the mission’s three scheduled spacewalks. The seven-member crew will fly to the Space Station primarily to evaluate procedures for flight safety, including Shuttle inspection and repair techniques.