KSC-2011-1299

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The rotating service structure (RSS), which provides weather protection and access to the shuttle, begins to move into place around space shuttle Discovery on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This comes after Discovery, attached to its external fuel tank, twin solid rocket boosters and mobile launcher platform, rolled out to the pad from the Vehicle Assembly Building during the overnight hours. Rollout to the pad is a significant shuttle processing milestone for the upcoming STS-133 mission, and comes after a thorough check and modifications to the shuttle's external fuel tank. Targeted to liftoff Feb. 24, Discovery will take the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2 (R2) to the International Space Station. For more information on STS-133, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts133/. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller