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NASA officials say there is a 50-50 chance the shuttle Discovery will not be ready for launch within the upcoming window in May. NASA spokesman William Parsons said delays in safety assessments and routine preflight preparations are making it hard to reach the goal of launching Discovery at the beginning of a 20-day window that begins May 15. However, he said he was confident the craft would be ready to begin its 12-day mission to the International Space Station before June 3, the New York Times reports. Parsons said while workers at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida have done everything they can to get the ship ready, a series of minor delays has used up all contingency days allowed in the schedule for unexpected problems. NASA's shuttles - Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour - have been grounded since the Columbia and its crew of seven were lost Feb. 1, 2003, in a fiery re-entry accident. All rights reserved. © 2005 United Press International. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by United Press International. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of United Press International. Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express
Cape Canveral FL (SPX) Apr 04, 2005Space Shuttle Discovery is set to roll out to Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. (KSC). First motion currently is targeted for 12:01 a.m. EDT Tuesday, April 5. |
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