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Ship docks to station
The Russian Progress 15P resupply ship makes a fully automated rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station. An external camera on the craft provides this view of the final approach to the aft port of the Zvezda service module. (3min 49sec file)
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Hurricane Charley
A camera aboard the International Space Station captured this stunning view of the strengthening Hurricane Charley on the morning of August 12. (1min 32sec file)
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Tropical Storm Bonnie
As Tropical Storm Bonnie comes ashore in the Florida panhandle on the morning of August 12, the International Space Station provides this view as it the orbiting outpost flies overhead. (1min 40sec file)
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Reentry seen from space
An incredibly rare sight was captured by the International Space Station cameras when the discarded Progress 14P supply ship reentered Earth's atmosphere. The craft burned up during the fiery plunge, which is visible as a long streak below the station. (3min 49sec file)
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Earth as backdrop
Spectacular video of the departing Progress 14P cargo ship against the Earth backdrop is captured by the station's crew. (1min 34sec file)
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Progress undocking
The Russian Progress 14P cargo ship undocks from the International Space Station after delivering its load of supplies and fuel to the orbiting outpost. A camera mounted on the craft's nose provides this view of the Progress departing the aft port of the Zvezda service module. (2min 15sec file)
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Proton lofts Amazonas
A Russian Proton M rocket launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome carrying the Amazonas communications satellite that will serve the Americas and Europe. (2min 25sec file)
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Proton preview
This narrated animation profiles the mission of a Proton rocket launching the Amazonas communications satellite. (2min 27sec file)
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Rocket rollout
The fully assembled Proton rocket is rolled to launch pad for its flight to place the Amazonas spacecraft into orbit. (41sec file)
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MESSENGER lifts off
The Boeing Delta 2-Heavy rocket launches at 2:16 a.m. EDT carrying the NASA's MESSENGER space probe from Cape Canaveral, Florida. (5min 23sec file)
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Cocoa Beach view
The Cocoa Beach tracking camera site captured this beautiful view of the launch and separation of the ground-ignited solid rocket boosters. (1min 31sec file)
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Next station crew
Expedition 10 Commander and NASA ISS Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Soyuz Commander and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov discuss their planned six-month mission on the space station. (11min 23sec file)
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Discovery milestones set stage for Return To Flight
NASA NEWS RELEASE
Posted: August 17, 2004

The pace of preparations for Return to Flight is picking up, with several key milestones in recent weeks marking important progress in readying the Space Shuttle Discovery for its next mission.

Discovery is progressing after the completion of extensive wiring for Return to Flight, as well as the transition from its modification period to more regular processing at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Fla. Meanwhile, the first piece of Discovery's twin Solid Rocket Boosters was moved to a processing facility on site and workers are installing several important components.

Though Discovery appears unchanged from the outside, the orbiter is very different on the inside. The power-up on July 27 follows safety improvements and modifications to enhance vehicle monitoring during flight. Technicians have installed cabling for wing leading-edge sensors and to support a digital camera to document the External Tank as it separates from Discovery. Wiring also has been installed to support a boom extension for the Shuttle's robotic arm that will provide the ability to inspect nearly all the outside areas of the orbiter's Thermal Protection System in detail.

On August 9, the first segment of the Solid Rocket Boosters designated for Discovery's flight was moved to the Rotation Processing and Surge Facility at KSC. The aft skirt -- the bottom, skirt-shaped section of the boosters -- will have two other components installed: an aft motor segment and an External Tank attach ring. Next month, the structure will move to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking operations.

Engineers and technicians have applied many of the modifications laid out in NASA's Implementation Plan for Space Shuttle Return to Flight and Beyond.

"The Vision for Space Exploration begins with safely returning the Shuttle to flight and resuming assembly of the International Space Station," said Michael Kostelnik, Deputy Associate Administrator for International Space Station and Space Shuttle Programs. "These processing milestones show we're moving toward that goal," he added.

Eighty-eight sensors will be installed on each wing. Sixty-six will measure acceleration and impact data and 22 will take temperature data during Discovery's climb to orbit. Ongoing tests have demonstrated these sensors can detect very small impacts.

Wiring has been added to the umbilical well under Discovery to accommodate a digital camera, which will transmit External Tank photos to the ground quickly. When the tank is separated from the Shuttle, an automatic sequence will capture 24 images, at one frame every 1.5 seconds. These images will be downlinked to Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston for review and analysis.

"The Program's first line of defense was to redesign the External Tank so that debris of a critical size never impacts the orbiters again," said Bill Parsons, Space Shuttle Program Manager. "We have done that. Combined with ground, airborne and onboard cameras and lasers, the addition of sensors will provide more detection and inspection capability than the Program has ever had," Parsons added.

The visible progress in Florida and other locations around the country parallels work by the Space Shuttle Program and its many contractor and subcontractor teams in response to the Columbia Accident Investigation Board's recommendations. NASA's Space Flight Leadership Council is the internal body reviewing the Shuttle Program's work, and the Stafford-Covey Return to Flight Task Group provides independent, external oversight. NASA is working toward a launch planning window for Discovery that opens in March 2005.

Since September 2002, Discovery has been in a regularly scheduled Orbiter Major Modification period for maintenance and upgrades. In addition to the Return to Flight work, more than 100 modifications have been performed, including the addition of the Multi-functional Electronic Display System, or "glass cockpit."

"Along with the power-up, we have passed several significant milestones during the last few months with the installation of the Forward Reaction Control System, the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon nose cap and wing leading-edge panels," Discovery Vehicle Manager Stephanie Stilson said. "I am very optimistic we are moving toward a launch next spring," she concluded.