At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Space Shuttle Discovery has arrived at Launch Pad 39B following an overnight move from the cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building. Perched atop the mobile launcher platform and carried by a massive crawler transporter, the shuttle assembly began the 4.2-mile journey at 12:29 a.m. EST and was officially in place at the pad at 9:03 a.m.
Meanwhile, the P5 integrated truss segment and SPACEHAB module are already inside the environmentally controlled payload changeout room at the launch pad. The payloads soon will be transferred into the orbiter’s waiting payload bay.
The STS-116 mission is No. 20 to the International Space Station and construction flight 12A.1. The launch window opens Dec. 7.
