Six Discovery astronauts are jetting from Houston to Kennedy Space Center to examine the payloads they'll fly to the International Space Station. The visit is a continuation of training known as the Crew Equipment Interface Test, or CEIT. A prior visit came in July, when the focus was more on the orbiter.
Now, the large Italian-built cargo module they'll haul to space is nearly fully packed with supplies and parts and it has been modified so it can be left behind as a permanent station module.
Also in the center's Space Station Processing Facility, a spare radiator is affixed to a parts pallet officially called ExPRESS Logistics Carrier-4, or ELC-4. Both the pallet and the Permanent Multipurpose Module, or PMM, will be stowed in Discovery's payload bay.
The crew is led by shuttle commander Steve Lindsey, a former head of the astronaut office. The pilot is Eric Boe and the mission specialists are Mike Barratt, Alvin Drew, Tim Kopra and Nicole Stott. All have flown in space before.
The astronauts are expected to arrive around 11 a.m. in T-38 jets and depart later today.
They're next official training at KSC will come in about six weeks when they perform a launch countdown dress rehearsal. They're expected to arrive Oct. 12 for the training called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT.
The 11-day mission -- the last planned for Discovery -- is targeted for launch at 4:33 p.m. Nov. 1.
IMAGE: During the bench review of systems and hardware in the Space Station Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center on July 8, space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 crew members listened while a technician described a piece of equipment they'll use in space. The crew dressed in clean-room attire, known as "bunny suits" from left are, mission specialist Alvin Drew; commander Steve Lindsey; mission specialists Tim Kopra, Michael Barratt and Nicole Stott. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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