Next mission: STS-119: Discovery to the space station in February

The shuttle began its journey to the assembly facility where it will be joined by all the external fuel, the rocket boosters and the cargo to the station - an additional beam component and solar collectors * The launch will therefore be moved on January 14 in preparation for the flight on February 12

At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, she completed Space Shuttle Discovery its journey from the shuttle processing facility number 3 to the shuttle assembly building - VAB last Wednesday in preparation for launch to the space station as part of the STS-119 mission. A previous transportation of the shuttle to the facility was postponed to allow technicians to change a tire that suffered from low air pressure and to wait for the end of the daily rain storm that characterizes the area during the afternoon hours.

The ferry was lifted using a heavy crane and loaded onto a dedicated truck. Later it will be joined by solid fuel rocket boosters and of course all the external fuel that is already inside the assembly structure.

The next milestone in the operation will be the transportation of the shuttle aboard the shuttle vehicle intended for launch facility 39A. This operation is scheduled for January 14. The shuttle's payload, which includes another S6 beam component and the latest solar collectors, will therefore be delivered by the launch on January 11, just shortly before the shuttle's arrival.

The mission commander is Lee Archambault and he will be joined by six other astronauts: the pilot Tony Antonelli as well as Joseph

Akaba, John Phillips, Steve Swanson, Richard Arnold and Japanese Space Agency representative Koichi Wataka. The astronauts are expected to arrive at the Kennedy Space Center for a general countdown on January 19-21. They will have the opportunity to inspect the spacecraft and cargo, try on the customized spacesuits and review the safety procedures.

Discovery's mission itself - mission STS-119 to the International Space Station is scheduled for February 12, at 7:32 a.m. local time (14:32 p.m. Israel time).