Although the launch is planned for October 23, the schedule for transferring the shuttle is therefore getting crowded
NASA said that a hydraulic leak from the gear in the right landing gear (similar to the landing of an airplane), could cause the launch planned for next month to be postponed. This gear is used as a shock absorber during the landing. This is a complex repair, which may take a lot of time, and the five weeks remaining until launch are probably not enough, because for the purpose of the repair, the shuttle must be left in its hangar for up to a week. On Monday of this week, the preparatory committee for the launch of the shuttle met and decided to continue with the repair.
On Wednesday, today, Discovery was scheduled to roll from its main hangar to the shuttle train structure to join the external fuel tank and boosters, but it will likely remain in the hangar for another week.
This delay of the transfer to the assembly facility may also cause a delay in the transfer and therefore the launch. The planned date for the launch of the STS-120 mission is October 23, at 11:38 EST 17:38 Israel time), however it seems that the launch will be postponed to at least October 26.
