Shuttle Crew Anticipates Challenging Mission

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – With one perilous challenge overcome, the space agency and the crew of shuttle Discovery now confront two other major tests: an extremely demanding mission and a more-worrisome-than usual return to Earth.

"Just a tremendous series of challenges in front of us," said Bill Gerstenmaier, an associate administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. "I can’t think of a better start to this mission than what we got today."

The seven astronauts embarked Tuesday on a 14-day mission to the International Space Station, blasting off from the Kennedy Space Center right on schedule and safely reaching orbit 8 { minutes later.

Among those watching the spectacle: movie director George Lucas, on hand to mark the 30th anniversary of his first Star Wars film, and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist.

"This is where America reaches for the stars," Crist said. "As the governor of Florida, this is important. I think it’s fantastic."

Discovery’s crew is assigned to deliver and install a new 31,500-pound module called Harmony, the first expansion of the orbiting laboratory’s living and working space since 2001.

"We’re ready to take Harmony to her new home," shuttle commander Pamela Melroy, only the second woman to lead a shuttle mission, said just before launch.

The crew also must move a 35,000-pound solar array and truss from one part of the station to another.

Those tasks and others will require five arduous spacewalks, the delicate manipulation of robotic arms attached to the shuttle and the station, and the assistance of the station’s three crew members.

"By any measure, this is one of the most challenging and audacious missions in the shuttle-ISS era," said crew member Scott Parazynski, who should know. He is a veteran of four previous shuttle flights.

In addition, the crew will engage in an especially important in-flight inspection of Discovery, devoting particular attention to the integrity of its wings.

The protective coating along the wings’ leading edges _ a crucial shield that protects craft and crew from the 3,000-degree heat generated by reentry through the atmosphere _ has shown unusual signs of decay.

In February 2003, a hole punched by launch debris in the leading edge of one of Columbia’s wings triggered the cascade of events that destroyed that shuttle and killed its seven crew members.

With that in mind, a safety committee recommended postponing Discovery’s mission until three of the 44 "reinforced carbon-carbon" or RCC panels could be replaced, but NASA decided to proceed.

Managers said the decay remained stable through several previous flights and they believe the defects do not pose an unacceptable hazard _ given the already considerable risks of spaceflight.

"The preponderance of evidence in my mind says that we have an acceptable risk to go fly in," said Wayne Hale, NASA’s shuttle program manager. "I didn’t say it’s safe to go fly and I wouldn’t say that.

"It’s an acceptable risk to fly. There are certain things we don’t understand about the vehicle even after flying it for 26 or so years."

Parazynski and the rest of the crew concurred with the decision.

"I’m proud to say that the STS-120 crew is totally confident that the RCC on Discovery is ready to protect us on our ride home," Melroy said.

In addition to Melroy and Parazynski, also aboard Discovery are copilot George Zamka, mission specialists Daniel Tani, Douglas Wheelock and Stephanie Wilson, and Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli.

Tani will join the space station’s crew, replacing Clay Anderson, who has been aboard the station since June and will return home aboard Discovery.

If all goes well, the shuttle will land at the space center Nov. 6 at about 4:45 a.m.