NASA STS-131 given Go to Launch

William Atkins
Saturday, 27 March 2010 23:06

Science - Space

NASA managers have given space shuttle Discovery a 'GO' to launch on April 5, 2010, for its STS-131 mission to the International Space Station.

 

 

A Flight Readiness Review (FRR) meeting by NASA and contractor managers and engineers on Friday, March 26, 2010, has come to the conclusion that the space shuttle Discovery does not have any 'unresolved issues' that would prevent it and its crew from flying a 'safe and successful mission.'

According to a news brief from the NASA News Service (March 26, 2010), Bill Gerstenmaier, the NASA associate administrator for Space Operations, stated briefly but distinctly, "We are ready to fly."

The STS-131 mission is scheduled to liftoff from launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center at 6:21 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on Monday, April 5, 2010.

They are scheduled to arrive at the ISS early on Wednesday, April 7th.

Information about the STS-131 mission is found at NASA's webpage 'STS-131 Mission Information.'

The crew of STS-131 include commander Alan Poindexter, pilot Jim Dutton, and mission specialists Rick Mastracchio, Clay Anderson, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Stephanie Wilson (all of NASA), and Naoko Yamazaki (of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency [JAXA]).

Page two talks about two Firsts that will occur during the STS-131 mission.