Discovery crew "go" despite wing concerns

Discovery's astronauts are ready to launch next week despite widespread concerns about slight cracks in heat shield panels on the shuttle's wings, their mission commander said Friday.

Three days after NASA managers overruled independent safety experts and engineers who wanted to replace three suspect panels, Pam Melroy said all those with concerns voiced them in a lengthy Flight Readiness Review and that her crew is ready to press ahead with plans to launch at 11:38 a.m. Tuesday.

"There's a time when you need to talk, and the Flight Readiness Review was the time to talk. And then there is a time to go do it, and I'm happy to say that we're really here and ready to go do it," Melroy said after she and six crewmates arrived at Kennedy Space Center for final launch preparations.

"The issues were discussed in tremendous detail, and I think for me, the biggest thing I got out of that, is that in a 12-hour discussion, I feel very confident that everybody's voice was heard," said Melroy, only the second woman to command a shuttle mission.

"Everybody discussed every element of the vehicle that needed to be discussed, and I think that is what makes me so confident that the process that we have in place now allows everybody's voice to be heard."

Discovery astronauts also were able to review pertinent data, and Melroy said the entire crew is satisfied that proceeding with launch is an acceptable risk.

The astronauts are "totally confident" that the thermal armor on Discovery is "ready to protect us on our ride home," she said.

NASA is finishing up preparations for a three-day launch countdown. A traditional "Call To Stations" will take place in the Launch Control Center at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, and countdown clocks will start ticking a half-hour later.

IMAGE NOTE: Click to enlarge the Florida Today photo of the Discovery astronauts at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility after they arrived today for final launch preparations. The crew includes (from left to right) mission commander Pam Melroy, pilot George Zamka and mission specialists Scott Parazynski, Stephanie Wilson, Douglas Wheelock, Paolo Nespoli of the European Space Agency and Dan Tani. Photo credit: Michael R. Brown, Florida Today.