KSC-05pd-0623

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Space Shuttle Discovery, atop a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP), crawls toward Launch Complex 39B. First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building occurred at 2:04 p.m. EDT. The rollout marks a major milestone in the Space Shuttle Program’s Return to Flight. The MLP is moved by a Crawler-Transporter underneath. A banner signed by KSC employees who helped process the orbiter for launch, proclaiming 'We're Behind You, Discovery_,' is affixed to the MLP. Launch of Discovery on its Return to Flight mission, STS-114, is targeted for May 15 with a launch window that extends to June 3. During its 12-day mission, Discovery’s seven-person crew will test new hardware and techniques to improve Shuttle safety, as well as deliver supplies to the International Space Station.