Following the launch of Atlantis early Sunday morning, Discovery was lifted and mated to the external tank and solid rocket boosters in VAB high bay 3. Preparations are being established today to begin the Shuttle interface verification test. Discovery is scheduled to be rolled out to Pad 39A early Friday, Jan. 17. No impact to other missions later in the year is expected. The Space Shuttle main engines were removed this weekend.
Work is now underway to remove the right hand orbital maneuvering system pod next week.
Water spray boilers are being checked this week and auxiliary power unit leak and functional checks are continuing. Stacking of the solid rocket boosters in the Vehicle Assembly Building continues. The left booster stack is complete. The system will reply with a confirmation via e-mail of each subscription.