KSC-2010-2520

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the astronauts on space shuttle Discovery's STS-131 crew, dressed in their orange launch-and-entry suits, pause for a group portrait in front of the Astrovan that will transport them to Launch Pad 39A. From left are Mission Specialists Clayton Anderson, Naoko Yamazaki of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Stephanie Wilson, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger and Rick Mastracchio; Pilot James P. Dutton Jr.; and Commander Alan Poindexter. Liftoff of the STS-131 mission is set for 6:21 a.m. EDT on April 5. On STS-131, the seven-member crew will deliver the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, filled with supplies, a new crew sleeping quarters and science racks that will be transferred to the International Space Station's laboratories. The crew also will switch out a gyroscope on the station’s truss, install a spare ammonia storage tank and retrieve a Japanese experiment from the station’s exterior. STS-131 is the 33rd shuttle mission to the station and the 131st shuttle mission overall. For information on the STS-131 mission and crew, visit http:__www.nasa.gov_mission_pages_shuttle_shuttlemissions_sts131_index.html. Photo credit: NASA_Kim Shiflett