Kennedy Space Center is gearing up for the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery.  Originally scheduled for Feb. 12, the launch of Mission STS-119 to the International Space Station has been pushed back to at least Feb. 19 to ensure the ship’s readiness for flight.

Space shuttle Discovery’s 7-person crew is expected to deliver a new truss segment and install the final set of power-generating solar arrays to the International Space Station.

The truss, with its set of large U.S. solar arrays, will complete the backbone of the station and provide one-fourth of the total power needed to support a crew of six.

The two solar array wings span 240 feet and will generate 66 kilowatts of electricity, or enough energy to power about thirty 2,800-square-foot homes.

While the mission is slated to launch no earlier than Feb. 19, anytime is a good time to visit Kennedy Space Center.  Enjoy the Shuttle Launch Experience ride, special NASA IMAX films, the rocket garden, U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, Space Shuttle Plaza, the Astronaut Memorial, a Hubble Telescope Exhibit and more.

 

Stumble it!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 at 11:52 am and is filed under Orlando. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.