KSC-2009-4249

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – With the 250-ton high bay crane in its upright position, space shuttle Discovery is suspended above the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The shuttle is ready to be lifted into the upper levels and lowered into High Bay 1. There it will be attached to the external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters already stacked on the mobile launcher platform. Discovery 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. The shuttle 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/Ben Smegelsky