KSC-05pd-1751

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the stands at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Banana Creek viewing site, First Lady Laura Bush (center) watches Launch Pad 39B for the liftoff of Space Shuttle Discovery on Return to Flight mission STS-114, scheduled to lift off at 10:39 a.m. EDT. She is flanked by astronaut Scott Altmann at left and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at right. In front of her are Michael O’Brien (left), assistant administrator for External Relations, and Woodrow Whitlow Jr. (right), KSC deputy director. Mrs. Bush is only the third First Lady to witness a Space Shuttle launch at KSC. On this mission to the International Space Station the crew will perform inspections on-orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the leading edge of the wings and the Thermal Protection System tiles using the new Canadian-built Orbiter Boom Sensor System and the data from 176 impact and temperature sensors. Mission Specialists will also practice repair techniques on RCC and tile samples during a spacewalk in the payload bay. During two additional spacewalks, the crew will install the External Stowage Platform-2, equipped with spare part assemblies, and a replacement Control Moment Gyroscope contained in the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure. The 12-day mission is expected to end with touchdown at the Shuttle Landing Facility on Aug. 7.