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Discovery Begins Slow Journey Back To Florida
POSTED: 9:16 am PDT August 19,
2005
The space shuttle Discovery has lifted off from Edwards Air Force, riding atop a jumbo jet.The modified Boeing 747 carrying the shuttle took off just after 8:30 a.m. PDT on its return to Cape Canaveral in Florida.It will make several stops to refuel during the trip, which is expected to cost NASA at least $1 million. A KC-135 aircraft flies in front of the dual craft to look out for bad weather that can damage the shuttle's thermal tiles and blankets.The first leg of the flight is expected to last about three hours and end at Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma. It could then continue to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana to rest for the night.The flight came more a week after Discovery landed in the Mojave Desert to become the first space shuttle to return to Earth since the Columbia tragedy.The landing was diverted to California after low clouds and lightning prevented the shuttle from returning to Florida on four earlier attempts.NASA has now said that sister ship Atlantis will not fly in 2005. The shuttles have been grounded while the agency continues to work on the problem of insulating foam shedding from the external fuel tank during launch.Foam came off the tank during Discovery's takeoff, though it did not damage the orbiter. A chunk that smashed into Columbia in 2003 caused the destruction of the craft during re-entry.
Previous Stories:
- August 18, 2005: Next Shuttle Flight Not Until March, At Least
- August 17, 2005: Task Force Members Offer Scathing Attack On NASA
- August 12, 2005: Don't Expect Shuttle Flights This Year, NASA Says
- August 10, 2005: Hundreds Welcome Discovery Crew In Houston
- August 9, 2005: Discovery Crew Celebrates Successful Mission
- August 9, 2005: NASA: 'Good To Be Us' After Safe Landing
- August 8, 2005: NASA Outlines Backup Sites To Land Shuttle Tuesday
- August 7, 2005: Discovery Crew Heading Home
- August 6, 2005: NASA 'Ecstatic' About Discovery's Mission
- August 4, 2005: Discovery Blanket Doesn't Need Repair, NASA Says
- August 2, 2005: Spacewalk Preparations Under Way
- August 1, 2005: Astronauts Will Attempt Shuttle Repair In Space
- July 31, 2005: NASA Considering Repairs To Discovery Damage
- July 30, 2005: Discovery Mission Could Be Extended By A Day
- July 29, 2005: NASA Leader Says 2005 Flights Still Possible
- July 28, 2005: Foam Piece Likely Struck Shuttle; Discovery Still OK To Fly
- July 26, 2005: Discovery Returns U.S. To Spaceflight
- July 19, 2005: NASA Still Stumped By Fuel Gauge Problem
- July 15, 2005: NASA Could Launch Four Days From Fix -- If It's Found
- July 13, 2005: Shuttle Won't Be Ready Again Until At Least Saturday
- July 13, 2005: Planned Shuttle Flight Scrubbed By Glitch
- July 13, 2005: Cover Falls Off Shuttle, But Damage Can Be Fixed, NASA Says
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