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STS-119: The programs

In advance of shuttle Discovery's STS-119 mission to the station, managers from both programs discuss the flight.

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STS-119: The mission

A detailed preview of Discovery's mission to deliver and activate the space station's final power truss is provided in this briefing.

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STS-119: Spacewalks

Four spacewalks are planned during Discovery's STS-119 mission to the station.

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STS-119: The Crew

The Discovery astronauts, led by commander Lee Archambault, meet the press in the traditional pre-flight news conference.

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STS-119: Shuttle on pad

Shuttle Discovery rolls to pad 39A for its February launch to the space station.

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STS-119 Mission Coverage


Welcome home, Discovery!

Shuttle Discovery and crew have safely returned from their orbital construction mission that installed the final section of the space station's truss structure, unfurled two giant solar wings that finished assembly of the outpost's electrical grid and boosted the international science laboratories to full power.

   LANDING STORY
   FIRST OPPORTUNITY WAVED OFF
   MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
   MAPS: SATURDAY'S LANDING TRACKS
   NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. S (.pdf download)
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VIDEO: DISCOVERY LANDS AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS INSPECT THEIR SPACECRAFT ON RUNWAY PLAY
VIDEO: NASA OFFICIALS HOLD POST-LANDING NEWS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: POST-FLIGHT NEWS CONFERENCE WITH ASTRONAUTS PLAY

VIDEO: LANDING REPLAY: INSIDE MISSION CONTROL CENTER PLAY
VIDEO: LANDING REPLAY: NORTH SIDE OF RUNWAY PLAY
VIDEO: LANDING REPLAY: EAST SIDE OF RUNWAY PLAY
VIDEO: LANDING REPLAY: WEST SIDE OF RUNWAY PLAY
VIDEO: LANDING REPLAY: VEHICLE ASSEMBLY BUILDING PLAY
VIDEO: LANDING REPLAY: CAMERA AT RUNWAY MID-FIELD PLAY
VIDEO: LANDING REPLAY: TOUCHDOWN IN INFRARED PLAY
VIDEO: LANDING REPLAY: INFRARED TRACKER PLAY

VIDEO: MISSION CONTROL GIVES "GO" FOR DEORBIT BURN PLAY
VIDEO: FIRST LANDING OPPORTUNITY WAVED OFF PLAY
VIDEO: PRE-LANDING MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: FLIGHT DAY 13 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
MORE: STS-119 VIDEO COVERAGE
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Soyuz delivers three-man crew to space station
Cosmonaut Gennady Padalka took over manual control and guided the Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft to a smooth docking with the international space station Saturday to cap a two-day orbital chase that began with blastoff Thursday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
   DOCKING STORY
   MISSION STATUS CENTER
Legendary commander tells story of shuttle's close call
The exhaustive attention NASA now devotes to making sure shuttle heat shields are damage-free and safe for re-entry is a direct result of the 2003 Columbia disaster. But a blacked-out military flight 21 years ago still stands out as warning to astronauts, engineers and managers, a frightening "close call" that had the potential to bring the shuttle program to an early end.
   FULL STORY
Discovery's re-entry to collect hypersonic research
As the space shuttle Discovery dives through re-entry to end STS-119, the aerodynamic flow on its outer left wing will be deliberately tripped from laminar to turbulent flow at Mach 15.
   FULL STORY
Astronauts prep Discovery for Saturday's landing
With forecasters predicting generally good, if somewhat windy, weather ahead of an approaching front, the shuttle Discovery's astronauts tested the ship's re-entry systems and packed for landing Saturday back at the Kennedy Space Center.
   FULL STORY
   MORNING STORY
   NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. R (.pdf download)
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VIDEO: EDUCATIONAL EVENT WITH SCHOOL IN HAWAII PLAY
VIDEO: PRE-LANDING TESTS OF SHUTTLE'S FLIGHT CONTROLS PLAY
VIDEO: FLIGHT DAY 12 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: THURSDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION OF LATE INSPECTIONS PLAY
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Relive Discovery's launch with booster cameras
As shuttle Discovery's mission winds down, we look back to the spectacular sunset launch with footage recorded by video cameras on the solid rocket boosters. The movies are presented here for Spaceflight Now Plus users with launch audio.
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VIDEO: LEFT-HAND BOOSTER CAMERA LOOKING UPWARD PLAY
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VIDEO: RIGHT-HAND BOOSTER CAMERA LOOKING UPWARD PLAY
VIDEO: RIGHT-HAND BOOSTER CAMERA LOOKING INBOARD PLAY
VIDEO: RIGHT-HAND BOOSTER CAMERA LOOKING DOWNWARD PLAY
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Russian Soyuz rocket launches new station crew
A veteran Russian cosmonaut set to become the first repeat commander of the international space station, a rookie NASA astronaut and a millionaire tourist going back to orbit for a second time ascended high above Earth Thursday aboard a Soyuz spacecraft.
   LAUNCH STORY
   MISSION STATUS CENTER
   NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. P (.pdf download)
   STORE: EXPEDITION 19 CREW PATCH
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VIDEO: FULL EXPERIENCE FROM LIFTOFF TO ORBIT PLAY
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VIDEO: NARRATED HIGHLIGHTS OF CREW'S LAUNCH PREPS PLAY

VIDEO: CROWD WELCOMES CREW AT BAIKONUR PAD PLAY
VIDEO: CREW DEPARTS SITE 254 FOR LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO: VIPS MEET THE CREW ON LAUNCH MORNING PLAY
VIDEO: CREW MEMBERS DON THEIR SOKOL SPACESUITS PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH MORNING TRADITIONS AT CREW QUARTERS PLAY

VIDEO: SOYUZ MOVED TO LAUNCH PAD FOR EXPEDITION 19 PLAY
VIDEO: ROCKET HOISTED VERTICALLY ONTO LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO: INTERVIEW WITH ISS DEPUTY PROGRAM MANAGER PLAY
VIDEO: INTERVIEW WITH FORMER ISS COMMANDER PLAY
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Discovery departs the international space station
Shuttle Discovery undocked from the international space station at 3:53 p.m. EDT Wednesday, ending an 8-day assembly visit. The shuttle delivered the final solar array power module, attaching the 15.5-ton truss and unfurling its giant wings that completed the space station's power grid and doubled the amount of electricity available for international science aboard the outpost.
   SHUTTLE CIRCLES STATION
   OUR UNDOCKING STORY
   FAREWELL CEREMONY
   MORNING STORY
   NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. O (.pdf download)
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VIDEO: FLIGHT DAY 11 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: WEDNESDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE OF FLYING AROUND THE SPACE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: STUNNING VIEWS OF SPACE STATION FROM FLYAROUND PLAY
VIDEO: FOOTAGE OF SHUTTLE DISCOVERY AFTER UNDOCKING PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE DISCOVERY UNDOCKS FROM SPACE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: HATCHWAY CLOSED BETWEEN TWO SPACECRAFT PLAY
VIDEO: FAREWELL CEREMONY BETWEEN THE TWO CREWS PLAY
VIDEO: PREVIEW ANIMATION OF UNDOCKING AN FLYAROUND PLAY
VIDEO: FLIGHT DAY 10 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
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President calls station to chat with astronauts
President Barack Obama, hosting school kids and members of Congress, called the crews of the shuttle Discovery and the international space station Tuesday, quizzing the astronauts about life in space and offering congratulations for a successful station assembly mission.
   FULL STORY
   FREE VIDEO: OBAMA CALLS CREW
   QUIET DAY BEFORE UNDOCKING
   NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. M (.pdf download)
   FREE VIDEO: CREW FINISHES FINAL SPACEWALK
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VIDEO: SOYUZ MOVED TO LAUNCH PAD FOR EXPEDITION 19 PLAY
VIDEO: ROCKET HOISTED VERTICALLY ONTO LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO: INTERVIEW WITH ISS DEPUTY PROGRAM MANAGER PLAY
VIDEO: INTERVIEW WITH FORMER ISS COMMANDER PLAY

VIDEO: PRESIDENT OBAMA CALLS THE SPACE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: JOINT CREW IN-FLIGHT NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY
VIDEO: TUESDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: FLIGHT DAY 9 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
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Station's external cargo fixture remains stuck
The failure to fully deploy an external cargo carrier mechanism during the Discovery crew's final spacewalk Monday will have no immediate impact on space station assembly, the flight director said. The jammed carrier, intended to support pallets carrying spare parts and other equipment for downstream use, may be repaired by the station crew or astronauts on an upcoming assembly flight.
   FULL STORY
   SPACEWALK ENDS
   CARGO FIXTURE REMAINS STUCK
   CART REPOSITIONED ON TRUSS
   MORNING STORY
   NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. K (.pdf download)
   FREE VIDEO: THIRD SPACEWALK ON TAP
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VIDEO: MONDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKER RICK ARNOLD WORKS ON STATION ARM PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKER JOE ACABA MOVES RAIL CART PLAY
VIDEO: FLIGHT DAY 8 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
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Discovery moves station to ease space debris concern
Discovery commander Lee Archambault maneuvered the shuttle-space station "stack" Sunday to avoid multiple close encounters with a piece of Chinese space junk that could have posed a threat during a third and final spacewalk Monday. Space station commander Mike Fincke, meanwhile, made solid progress with lab's urine recycling system and resumed testing late in the day after resolving a snag earlier in the day.
   FULL STORY
   MANEUVER TO AVOID PIECE OF DEBRIS
   URINE RECYCLE SYSTEM PROBLEM
   MORNING STORY
   NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. K (.pdf download)
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VIDEO: SUNDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: NEWS MEDIA INTERVIEWS WITH CREW PLAY
VIDEO: FLIGHT DAY 7 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
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Spacewalkers finish part of their Saturday to-do list
Engineers are studying options for freeing a jammed locking pin, part of a clamp that apparently was installed backwards by a spacewalker Saturday in the topsy-turvy world of microgravity. The backward clamp prevented a stowed space station cargo carrier from fully deploying and locking into place.
   FULL STORY
   FREE VIDEO: SECOND SPACEWALK COMPLETED
   SPACEWALK CONCLUDES
   PROBLEM WITH EXTERNAL FIXTURE
   EVA PROGRESS STORY
   MORNING STORY
   NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. I (.pdf download)
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VIDEO: SATURDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: WALKTHROUGH OF SPACEWALK NO. 2 PLAN PLAY
VIDEO: FLIGHT DAY 6 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
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Power-making wings unfurl; flight plan changed
NASA managers, thrilled at the successful deployment of a fourth and final set of solar arrays on the international space station Friday, approved a revised flight plan that will delay hatch closure and the shuttle Discovery's undocking slightly to improve the odds of getting critical experiment samples back to Earth in case of weather wave-offs that might delay the orbiter's return.
   FULL STORY
   BOTH ARRAYS DEPLOYED
   MORNING STORY
   NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. H (.pdf download)
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VIDEO: FRIDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: NEWS MEDIA INTERVIEWS WITH CREW PLAY
VIDEO: SECOND SOLAR WING FULLY DEPLOYED PLAY
VIDEO: SECOND SOLAR WING DEPLOYED HALF-WAY PLAY
VIDEO: FIRST SOLAR WING FULLY DEPLOYED PLAY
VIDEO: FIRST SOLAR WING DEPLOYED HALF-WAY PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION OF SOLAR ARRAY DEPLOYMENT PLAY
VIDEO: FLIGHT DAY 5 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
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Station assembly milestone: Final power truss installed
Spacewalkers Steve Swanson and Ricky Arnold, working outside on a six-hour spacewalk Thursday, attached the last solar array truss to the international space station. The module carries a set of giant electricity-generating wings to be unfurled on Friday, boosting the station to full power.
   SOLAR ARRAY CONTAINERS UNFOLDED
   NEW TRUSS INSTALLED
   MORNING STORY
   NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. F (.pdf download)
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VIDEO: THURSDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKER STEVE SWANSON RELEASES LOCKS PLAY
VIDEO: STARBOARD 6 TRUSS ATTACHED TO THE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: WALKTHROUGH OF SPACEWALK NO. 1 PLAN PLAY
VIDEO: OVERVIEW OF THE STARBOARD 6 TRUSS PAYLOAD PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED ANIMATION OF TRUSS INSTALLATION PLAY
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Power payload handed from Discovery to the station
A $300 million, 31,000-pound solar array truss segment was plucked from the shuttle Discovery's cargo bay Thursday, handed off, re-grappled and moved to an overnight park position near the right end of the international space station's main power truss for installation Thursday during a planned six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk.
   FULL STORY
   MORNING STORY
   NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. D (.pdf download)
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VIDEO: FLIGHT DAY 4 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: WEDNESDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: POWER TRUSS HANDED FROM SHUTTLE TO STATION PLAY
VIDEO: STARBOARD 6 TRUSS HOISTED FROM PAYLOAD BAY PLAY
VIDEO: PREVIEW ANIMATION OF S6 TRUSS UNBERTHING PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED TOUR OF DISCOVERY'S PAYLOAD BAY PLAY
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Successful rendezvous for Discovery and station
With hugs, smiles and handshakes,the crew of the international space station welcomed shuttle commander Lee Archambault and his six crewmates aboard late Tuesday after a picture-perfect docking over western Australia.
   FULL STORY
   MORNING STORY
   UPDATED FLIGHT PLAN
   NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. C (.pdf download)
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VIDEO: FLIGHT DAY 3 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: TUESDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE CREW WELCOMED ABOARD STATION PLAY
VIDEO: SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY DOCKS TO SPACE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: SHUTTLE'S POINT OF VIEW DURING BACKFLIP PLAY
VIDEO: DISCOVERY PERFORMS THE 360-DEGREE BACKFLIP PLAY
VIDEO: PREVIEW ANIMATION OF RENDEZVOUS AND DOCKING PLAY
MORE: STS-119 VIDEO COVERAGE
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Mission manager says launch appeared flawless
A quick-look at ascent imagery and other data indicates the shuttle Discovery came through its launch and climb to space Sunday in very good shape with no major issues or anomalies, the chairman of NASA's Mission Management Team said late Monday. Space station controllers, meanwhile, decided a piece of space junk they had been tracking posed no threat and would not require an avoidance maneuver by the lab crew.
   FULL STORY
   MORNING STORY
   NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. B (.pdf download)
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VIDEO: FLIGHT DAY 2 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: MONDAY'S MISSION STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: MONDAY'S MISSION MANAGEMENT TEAM UPDATE PLAY
VIDEO: PREVIEW ANIMATION OF HEAT SHIELD INSPECTIONS PLAY
VIDEO: FLIGHT DAY 1 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: THE FULL STS-119 LAUNCH EXPERIENCE PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: EXTERNAL TANK CAMERA PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: VAB ROOF PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA CS-1 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA CS-2 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA CS-6 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: FRONT CAMERA PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: BEACH TRACKER PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: PAD PERIMETER PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: PLAYALINDA BEACH PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: THE VIP VIEWING SITE PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: PRESS SITE PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: WEST TOWER PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 009 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 050 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 051 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 054 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 061 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 063 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 070 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: CAMERA 071 PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: UCS-11 TRACKER PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: UCS-23 TRACKER PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAY: PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE PLAY
VIDEO: INSIDE MISSION CONTROL DURING LAUNCH PLAY
VIDEO: PAYLOAD BAY DOORS OPENED IN ORBIT PLAY
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Discovery soars at sunset to boost space station power
Space shuttle Discovery launched at 7:43 p.m. EDT Sunday on a mission to complete the power grid of the international space station. This 125th shuttle mission will deliver and install the final segment of the station's truss backbone and unfurl two giant solar wings.
   FULL STORY
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VIDEO: SHUTTLE'S CREW MODULE HATCH CLOSED FOR FLIGHT PLAY
VIDEO: MISSION SPECIALIST STEVE SWANSON BOARDS PLAY
VIDEO: PILOT TONY ANTONELLI BOARDS DISCOVERY PLAY
VIDEO: COMMANDER LEE ARCHAMBAULT BOARDS PLAY
VIDEO: CREW DEPARTS QUARTERS FOR LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS DON SPACESUITS FOR LAUNCH PLAY
VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE OF SUNRISE AT LAUNCH PAD 39A PLAY
VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE OF HYDROGEN ACCESS ARM RETRACTION PLAY
VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE OF SATURDAY NIGHT'S GANTRY ROLLBACK PLAY
VIDEO: SATURDAY'S PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY
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Still no 'smoking gun' found for hydrogen vent line leak
Engineers fell several hours behind schedule Saturday fixing an alignment issue and re-connecting a gaseous hydrogen vent line to the shuttle Discovery's external tank, but NASA managers say they should be able to make up the lost time and stay on track for a launch attempt Sunday at 7:43 p.m. EDT.
   FULL STORY
   FREE VIDEO: DAVID WATERS REPORTS FROM KSC
Pad technicians trying to fix hydrogen vent line leak
As expected, engineers troubleshooting the hydrogen vent line leak that grounded the shuttle Discovery Wednesday were unable to detect any problems using helium at ambient temperatures, officials said Friday.
   FULL STORY
   LAUNCH WINDOWS CHART
   COUNTDOWN TIMELINE
   LAUNCH TIMELINE
   FREE VIDEO: MILES O'BRIEN REPORTS FROM KSC
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VIDEO: FRIDAY'S SHUTTLE AND WEATHER UPDATE BRIEFING PLAY
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Atlas gives up launch opportunity for the shuttle
With NASA's decision to try launching space shuttle Discovery on Sunday evening, the upcoming flight of an Atlas 5 rocket carrying a military communications satellite from Cape Canaveral will go into standby mode under an agreement reached between the space agency and Air Force officials.
   MISSION STATUS CENTER
   PHOTOS: LAUNCH PREPS
Expedited repair to allow Sunday launch of Discovery
NASA managers Thursday reviewed plans to fix a leaking hydrogen vent line and decided to implement an expedited repair procedure that, if all goes well, will permit a launch attempt at 7:43 p.m. EDT Sunday to kick off a delayed space station assembly mission.
   FULL STORY
   EARLIER STORY
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VIDEO: WEDNESDAY'S ROLLBACK OF PAD GANTRY PLAY | HI-DEF
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Threat of debris collision passes the space station
After boarding their Soyuz capsule as part of precautionary procedures for a possible space debris collision, the three crew members living on the international space station have been given an all-clear. The piece of debris was expected to pass close by the station at 12:39 p.m. EDT. NASA says news of the close approach came too late to move the station. A few minutes after the predicted time for the encounter, ground controllers said the crew could enter back into the station again.
   FULL STORY
   NASA STATEMENT
   EARLIER STORY
Shuttle Discovery launch scrubbed by hydrogen leak
Already running a month behind schedule because of subtle hydrogen valve problems, launch of the shuttle Discovery was called off during fueling Wednesday when an unrelated hydrogen vent line sprang a potentially dangerous leak. NASA will not be able to make another attempt to launch Discovery until Sunday at the earliest, giving the astronauts just three days or so to get off the ground before the end of the March launch window.
   SCRUB STORY
   MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
   LAUNCH WINDOWS CHART
   STORE: DISCOVERY CREW PATCH
   VIDEO: MISSION VIDEO COVERAGE
   HDTV: HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO
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VIDEO: POST-SCRUB NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY
VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE OF PAD GANTRY ROLLING BACK PLAY
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Mission to finish building station's power grid
After around-the-clock work to resolve concern about suspect hydrogen valves, the shuttle Discovery is set for launch Wednesday on a four-spacewalk mission to attach a final set of solar arrays to the international space station. The huge solar panels are the last major U.S.-built station components scheduled for launch on a space shuttle.
   PREVIEW STORY
   FREE VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS PRACTICE LANDINGS
   NASA TV SCHEDULE REV. 0 (.pdf download)
   COUNTDOWN TIMELINE
   LAUNCH TIMELINE
   STS-119 FLIGHT PLAN
Station spacewalk taken as shuttle nears launch
The shuttle Discovery's countdown continues to tick smoothly toward launch Wednesday on a space station assembly mission. Aboard the station, meanwhile, commander Mike Fincke and flight engineer Yury Lonchakov conducted a spacewalk Tuesday afternoon to mount a European experiment packaged on the hull of the Zvezda command module and to complete a variety of other tasks.
   SPACEWALK A SUCCESS
   FULL STORY
Shuttle on schedule, weather forecast looks good
The shuttle Discovery's countdown to launch Wednesday is proceeding smoothly, officials said Monday, with no technical problems of any significance at the launch pad and excellent weather expected throughout the week.
   FULL STORY
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VIDEO: THE PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY
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Space shuttle astronauts arrive at Florida spaceport
The seven men to fly aboard space shuttle Discovery arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday afternoon to begin final preparations for Wednesday night's launch.
   FULL STORY
   PODCAST: ASTRONAUTS ARRIVE FOR LAUNCH
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Discovery formally set to launch next Wednesday
Senior NASA managers Friday officially cleared the shuttle Discovery for launch March 11 on a delayed space station assembly mission. The decision to proceed was based on a review of extensive testing and analysis, along with results from a new inspection technique, that gave engineers high confidence three hydrogen flow control valves installed aboard Discovery are crack free and can be safely launched as is.
   FULL STORY
   MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
   VIDEO: MISSION VIDEO COVERAGE
   STORE: DISCOVERY CREW PATCH
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VIDEO: FLIGHT READINESS REVIEW BRIEFING PLAY
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Spaceflight Now to host live shuttle launch broadcast
Spaceflight Now is joining forces with veteran space broadcasters Miles O'Brien and David Waters to provide unrivaled video coverage of space shuttle Discovery's next mission.
   FULL STORY
NASA officially moves up Discovery's launch date
Shuttle managers met Wednesday to review tests and inspections of suspect hydrogen flow control valves and agreed enough progress had been made to justify another flight readiness review Friday and a March 11 target launch date for the shuttle Discovery's delayed space station assembly mission.
   FULL STORY
   EARLIER STORY
NASA targets March 12 for shuttle Discovery launch
NASA managers decided Wednesday enough progress had been made testing and evaluating suspect hydrogen flow control valves to tentatively set a March 12 target launch date for the shuttle Discovery's delayed mission to attach a final set of solar arrays to the international space station.
   FULL STORY
   VIDEO: MISSION VIDEO COVERAGE
   STORE: DISCOVERY CREW PATCH
March launch of Discovery possible, but not certain
NASA managers Tuesday ordered engineers to replace suspect hydrogen flow control valves aboard the shuttle Discovery with valves that have less flight time in a bid to reduce the chances of in-flight cracks that could lead to debris in a pressurization line.
   FULL STORY
Space shuttle Discovery's launch put on hold
After a marathon 13-hour flight readiness review, NASA managers late Friday were unable to reach a consensus on launching the shuttle Discovery Feb. 27 with suspect hydrogen flow control valves. As a result, senior management decided not to set an official launch date and Discovery's mission was put on hold pending additional analysis and discussions next Wednesday.
   FULL STORY
   MISSION STATUS CENTER - live updates!
   PREVIEW STORY
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VIDEO: FRIDAY NIGHT'S LAUNCH POSTPONEMENT BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED MISSION OVERVIEW MOVIE PLAY
VIDEO: MEET SHUTTLE DISCOVERY'S ASTRONAUTS PLAY
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Shuttle Discovery launch postponed once again
Launch of the shuttle Discovery on a space station assembly mission, already delayed twice because of concern about suspect hydrogen valves, was pushed back again late Friday, to no earlier than Feb. 27, to give engineers more time to assess the safety of the shuttle's external tank pressurization system.
   FULL STORY
Shuttle valve tests continue but yet not complete
Testing to determine the threat posed by suspect hydrogen flow control valves - work that has delayed the shuttle Discovery's planned launch from this week to no earlier than Feb. 22 - is proceeding at multiple NASA field centers and so far, engineers say, no show stoppers have been identified. But testing is far from complete and it's not yet known whether NASA can develop an acceptable near-term flight rationale.
   FULL STORY
   COUNTDOWN TIMELINE
   LAUNCH WINDOWS CHART
   STS-119 FLIGHT PLAN
   VIDEO: MISSION VIDEO COVERAGE
   STORE: DISCOVERY CREW PATCH
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Shuttle Discovery's launch postponed a few more days
Launch of shuttle Discovery on a space station assembly mission, delayed earlier this week from Feb. 12 to no earlier than Feb. 19 because of concern about critical hydrogen flow control valves, now is slipping to at least Feb. 22 to give engineers more time to complete testing, NASA officials said Friday.
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Shuttle Discovery's launch delayed at least one week
Launch of shuttle Discovery on a mission to deliver a final set of solar arrays to the international space station has been delayed at least one week, to no earlier than Feb. 19, to give engineers additional time to assess the health of critical hydrogen flow control valves that keep the ship's external tank pressurized during the climb to space.
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Discovery's countdown dress rehearsal wraps up
Despite frigid temperatures that would have scrubbed a real space shuttle launch attempt, Discovery's seven astronauts climbed aboard their spacecraft at pad 39A for a practice countdown Wednesday morning.
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Space shuttle astronauts continue Cape training
While the Inauguration festivities were underway in Washington on Tuesday, a countdown dress rehearsal and emergency training drills continued at Kennedy Space Center to prepare for shuttle Discovery's upcoming launch carrying the final space station power truss segment.
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Shuttle crew flies to Florida for practice countdown
The Discovery astronauts flew to the Kennedy Space Center Monday to review emergency procedures and participate in a practice countdown Wednesday, a major milestone on the road to launch Feb. 12 on a space station assembly mission.
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Discovery completes morning trip to launch pad
Poised to fly the 125th mission of the space shuttle program, Discovery made its journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center.
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Space station construction mission preview movies
All day Friday at the Johnson Space Center, NASA officials and the astronauts themselves offered detailed previews of next month's shuttle mission to deliver and activate the international space station's final power truss.
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Shuttle Discovery joins its fuel tank and boosters
After Discovery rode into the Vehicle Assembly Building on Wednesday afternoon, ground crews quickly got to work lifting the spaceplane vertically and positioned for attachment to the external fuel tank.
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Space shuttle Discovery moves closer to next launch
The first visible sign that a shuttle launch is nearing occurs when the orbiter moves from its hangar to the Vehicle Assembly Building for attachment to the external fuel tank and twin solid rockets. Shuttle Discovery made that trip Wednesday in preparation for its mid-February blastoff.
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