KSC-2009-4237

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Discovery begins its move from Orbiter Processing Facility 3 to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The first motion of the shuttle out of its hangar was at 7:22 a.m. EDT. In the VAB, Discovery will be lifted into High Bay 1 and mated to the external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters already installed on the mobile launcher platform. The shuttle is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A the first week of August to prepare for the STS-128 mission to the International Space Station. Discovery will carry the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module containing life support racks and science racks and the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Experiment Support Structure Carrier in its payload bay. Launch of Discovery is targeted for late August. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett