February 24, 2011

• NASA’S Shuttle Discovery Heads To Space Station.

  Joshua Buck
  Headquarters,
  Washington                                   
  202-358-1100
  jbuck@nasa.gov
   
  Candrea Thomas

  Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
  321-867-2468
  candrea.k.thomas@nasa.gov 
   

  Feb. 24, 2011

  RELEASE : 11-054

   NASA’S Shuttle Discovery Heads To
  Space Station On Its Final Mission

  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The
  final flight of space shuttle Discovery lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space
  Center at 4:53 p.m. EST Thursday to deliver a new module and critical supplies
  to the International Space Station.

  The STS-133 mission is delivering
  the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM), a facility created from the
  Multi-Purpose Logistics Module named Leonardo. The module can support
  microgravity experiments in areas such as fluid physics, materials science,
  biology and biotechnology. Inside the PMM is Robonaut 2, a dextrous robot that
  will become a permanent resident of the station. Discovery also is carrying
  critical spare components to the space station and the Express Logistics Carrier
  4, an external platform that holds large equipment.

  “With Discovery’s
  mission, the United States once again reaches for new heights, pushes the
  boundaries of human achievement and contributes to our long-term future in
  space,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. “Discovery’s crew – including
  the first-ever dexterous robot crew member, Robonaut 2 – will continue America’s
  leadership in human and robotic spaceflight, and support important scientific
  and technical research aboard the space station.”

  STS-133 Commander
  Steve Lindsey will command the flight. He is joined on the mission by Pilot Eric
  Boe and Mission Specialists Alvin Drew, Steve Bowen, Michael Barratt and Nicole
  Stott. Bowen replaced Tim Kopra as mission specialist 2 following a bicycle
  injury on Jan. 15 that prohibited Kopra from supporting the launch window. Bowen
  last flew on Atlantis in May 2010 as part of the STS-132 crew. Flying on the
  STS-133 mission will make Bowen the first astronaut ever to fly on consecutive
  missions.
     
  The shuttle crew is scheduled to dock to the station at
  2:16 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26. The mission’s two spacewalks will focus on
  outfitting the station and storing spare components outside the complex.

  After completing the 11-day flight, the shuttle’s first landing
  opportunity at Kennedy is scheduled for 12:44 p.m. on Monday, March 7. STS-133
  is the 133rd shuttle flight, the 39th flight for Discovery and the 35th shuttle
  mission dedicated to station assembly and maintenance. NASA’s web coverage of
  STS-133 includes mission information, a press kit, interactive features, news
  conference images, graphics and videos. Mission coverage, including the latest
  NASA Television schedule, is available on the main space shuttle website at:

  http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

  NASA
  is providing continuous television and Internet coverage of the mission. NASA TV
  features live mission events, daily status news conferences and 24-hour
  commentary. For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information,
  visit:

  http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

  Daily news conferences with STS-133 mission managers will take place at
  NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. To use this service, reporters must have
  valid media credentials issued by a NASA center or issued specifically for the
  STS-133 mission.

  Journalists planning to use the service must contact
  the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 no later than 15 minutes prior to the start
  of a briefing. Newsroom personnel will verify credentials and transfer reporters
  to the phone bridge. Phone bridge capacity is limited, so it will be available
  on a first-come, first-served basis.

  Live updates to the NASA News
  Twitter feed will be added throughout the mission and landing. To access the
  feed, go to the NASA.gov homepage or visit:

  http://www.twitter.com/nasa

  Stott
  is providing updates to her Twitter account during the mission. She can be
  followed at:

    http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Nicole

  For more information about the space station, visit:

  http://www.nasa.gov/station

  - end –

   

  ---

   

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