UPDATE: 02/06/07 - Astronaut charged with kidnap attempt arraigned, FULL STREAMING VIDEO. Photo released by Orange County Sheriff's Department, NASA astronaut Lisa Marie Nowak.
LIVE LAUNCH AND MISSION VIDEO NASATV: REAL MEDIA PLAYER amd WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER
THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED DAILY FOR THE REMAINDER OF MISSION STS-121
 | Space Shuttle Discovery reached its destination this morning when it docked with the International Space Station at 10:52 a.m. EDT. The STS-121 mission delivered supplies equipment and a third Expedition 13 crew member to the station. |
European Space Agency Astronaut Thomas Reiter arrived with STS-121. He will become Expedition 13’s third crew member later today.
Prior to docking, STS-121 Commander Steve Lindsey piloted Discovery through a back-flip maneuver to allow the station crew to capture imagery of the orbiter’s heat shield.
FULL STREAMING VIDEO of Backflip maneuver in (Windows Media Format) or in (Real Media Format)
| This is a virtual replica of the official countdown clock at the launch site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. It begins 43 hours before launch and mirrors the real clock by pausing during the various built-in holds during the countdown. |
 | Amid the glow of lights from the fixed and rotating service structures, Space Shuttle Discovery rests on the hardstand of Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley. + View High-Res Image |
Rolling in the Right Direction - Discovery made its slow but steady journey to the launch pad.
Payloads at the Pad - The STS-121 payloads are packed up and delivered to the launch pad.
| The STS-121 patch depicts the Space Shuttle docked with the International Space Station (ISS) in the foreground, overlaying the astronaut symbol with three gold columns and a gold star. |  |
Media Resources + External Tank Risk Assessment Masses (81 kb PDF) and + External Tank-119 Fact Sheet (460 Kb PDF)
NASA Gives 'Go' for Space Shuttle Discovery's Launch
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA senior managers on Saturday cleared the Space Shuttle Discovery for a July 1 flight to the International Space Station.
The decision was announced after a lengthy Flight Readiness Review, a traditional meeting in which top NASA managers and engineers set launch dates, determine whether the shuttle's complex array of equipment, support systems and procedures are ready for flight and assess any risks associated with the mission.
"We had two full days of an intensive Flight Readiness Review," said Administrator Michael Griffin. "It was spirited and one of the most open, yet non-adversarial meetings I've seen since returning to NASA."
Commander Steve Lindsey and his six-crewmates are scheduled to lift off at 3:48 p.m. EDT to begin a 12-day mission, designated STS-121. Discovery's crew will test new hardware and techniques to improve shuttle safety, as well as deliver supplies, make repairs and bring a third crew member to the station.
"We were really careful to evaluate everything as thoroughly as we could," said Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier, who chaired the Flight Readiness Review. "But the review of the ice/frost ramp was one of the most vigorously discussed."
The ice/frost ramps are structures made of insulation foam that cover 34 brackets on the outside of the shuttle's external fuel tank. The ramps have been cited as a potential source of foam loss, which could cause damage to the shuttle. The Flight Readiness Review board decided the current design does not pose sufficient risk to delay the upcoming mission while design improvements for later flights are under way.
Joining Lindsey aboard Discovery will be pilot Mark Kelly, mission specialists Mike Fossum, Piers Sellers, Lisa Nowak and Stephanie Wilson. European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter will launch on Discovery and stay on the station for several months.
Aboard the station, Expedition 13 Commander Pavel Vinogradov, a Russian Federal Space Agency cosmonaut, and Flight Engineer and NASA Station Science Officer Jeff Williams will greet Discovery and its crew. Vinogradov and Williams began their six-month mission on the station March 31.
For more information on the STS-121 mission, including images and interviews with the crew, visit:
Press Contacts - Allard Beutel, Headquarters, Washington, 202-358-4769
Tracy Young, Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-867-2468
June 17, 2006, RELEASE: 06-241
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The following is a statement from NASA Chief Safety and Mission Assurance Officer Bryan O'Connor and Chief Engineer Chris Scolese on decision to launch the Space Shuttle Discovery in July, despite reservations:
"Crew safety is our first and most important concern. We believe that our crew can safely return from this mission.
"We both feel that there remain issues with the orbiter -- there is the potential that foam may come off at time of launch. That's why we feel we should redesign the ice/frost ramp before we fly this mission. We do not feel, however, that these issues are a threat to safe return of the crew. We have openly discussed our position in the Flight Readiness Review -- open communication is how we work at NASA. The Flight Readiness Review board and the administrator have heard all the different engineering positions, including ours, and have made an informed decision and the agency is accepting this risk with its eyes wide open."
 | JSC2006-E-22050 (8 June 2006) --- Astronaut Stephanie D. Wilson, STS-121 mission specialist, listens to a reporter's question during the preflight press briefing for the scheduled July mission aboard Discovery. high res (1.5 M) low res (68 K) Biographical Data |
Commander Steve Lindsey - Lindsey is assigned to command the crew of STS-121. He flew as a pilot on STS-87 in 1997 and STS-95 in 1998, and was mission commander on STS-104 in 2001.
Pilot Mark Kelly - Kelly flew on STS-108 in 2001, and has logged almost 12 days in space. Kelly is assigned as the pilot on STS-121.
Mission Specialist Mike Fossum - As a Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) in Mission Control, Fossum supported several flights. He is currently assigned to the crew of STS-121 as a mission specialist.
Mission Specialist Lisa Nowak - Nowak recently served in the Astronaut Office Robotics Branch and in the CAPCOM Branch. She is assigned to the crew of STS-121 on her first flight.
Mission Specialist Piers Sellers - Sellers completed his first flight on STS-112, including almost 20 EVA hours in three spacewalks. He is assigned to the crew of STS-121 as a mission specialist.
Mission Specialist Thomas Reiter - Representing the European Space Agency (ESA), Reiter will remain on the space station, working with the station crew under a contract between the ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency.
Discovery Crew Home Safe (Image Gallery)
 | The crew of mission STS-114 gathered in front of Discovery following landing at Edwards Air Force Base. From left to right: Mission Specialist Stephen Robinson, Commander Eileen Collins, Mission Specialists Andrew Thomas, Wendy Lawrence, Soichi Noguchi and Charles Camarda, and Pilot James Kelly. (Image Credit: Jim Ross/NASA) |
 | NASA's Crew Transport Vehicle, or CTV, pulls up to the Space Shuttle Discovery to offload the crew after a successful landing August 9, 2005 at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The landing marked the end of the STS-114 mission. (Image Credit: Carla Thomas/NASA) |
 | The sun rises on the Space Shuttle Discovery as it rests on the runway at Edwards Air Force Base, California, after a safe landing August 9, 2005 to complete the STS-114 mission. (Image Credit: Carla Thomas/NASA) |
 | Mission managers applaud the successful landing of Space Shuttle Discovery at Edwards Air Force Base in California. (Image Credit: Bill Ingalls/NASA) |
 | Touchdown! Discovery makes a picture-perfect landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California at 8:11 a.m. EDT. (Image Credit: Carla Thomas/NASA) |
RELATED: Keywords Space Shuttle, Monday, June 12, 2006 STS-121 Crew Arrival (LIVE VIDEO), Tuesday, January 03, 2006 President Signs 14 House and Senate Resolutions, Friday, August 19, 2005 Shuttle Discovery Heads Home on Boeing 747, Tuesday, August 09, 2005 Discovery Crew Home Safe (Image Gallery), Tuesday, August 02, 2005 President Calls Space Shuttle Discovery VIDEO, Friday, July 29, 2005 Space Shuttle Discovery STS-114 External Tank Images, Thursday, July 28, 2005 Discovery, STS-114 Crew Arrive at Space Station, Thursday, July 28, 2005 sts-114, Space Shuttle Discovery Foam Shedding From External Tank, Tuesday, July 26, 2005 Discovery Cruises Through Flight Milestones, Monday, July 25, 2005 Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery 07/25/05, Sunday, July 24, 2005 Return to Flight Launch Countdown 07/24/05,
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