KSC-00pp1546

Smiling and waving at photographers and onlookers, the STS-92 crew hurries to the waiting Astrovan for the trip to Launch Pad 39A and liftoff of Space Shuttle Discovery. Clockwise from right, leading the way are Commander Brian Duffy and Pilot Pamela Ann Melroy; then Mission Specialists Leroy Chiao, Koichi Wakata of Japan, Michael Lopez-Alegria, William S. McArthur Jr. and Peter J.K. “Jeff” Wisoff. During the 11-day mission to the International Space Station, four extravehicular activities (EVAs), or spacewalks, are planned for construction. The payload includes the Integrated Truss Structure Z-1 and the third Pressurized Mating Adapter. The Z-1 truss is the first of 10 that will become the backbone of the Space Station, eventually stretching the length of a football field. PMA-3 will provide a Shuttle docking port for solar array installation on the sixth Station flight and Lab installation on the seventh Station flight. This launch is the fourth for Duffy and Wisoff, the third for Chiao and McArthur, second for Wakata and Lopez-Alegria, and first for Melroy. Launch is scheduled for 7:17 p.m. EDT. Discovery’s landing is expected Oct. 22 at 2:10 p.m. EDT

Smiling and waving at photographers and onlookers, the STS-92 crew hurries to the waiting Astrovan for the trip to Launch Pad 39A and liftoff of Space Shuttle Discovery. Clockwise from right, leading the way are Commander Brian Duffy and Pilot Pamela Ann Melroy; then Mission Specialists Leroy Chiao, Koichi Wakata of Japan, Michael Lopez-Alegria, William S. McArthur Jr. and Peter J.K. “Jeff” Wisoff. During the 11-day mission to the International Space Station, four extravehicular activities (EVAs), or spacewalks, are planned for construction. The payload includes the Integrated Truss Structure Z-1 and the third Pressurized Mating Adapter. The Z-1 truss is the first of 10 that will become the backbone of the Space Station, eventually stretching the length of a football field. PMA-3 will provide a Shuttle docking port for solar array installation on the sixth Station flight and Lab installation on the seventh Station flight. This launch is the fourth for Duffy and Wisoff, the third for Chiao and McArthur, second for Wakata and Lopez-Alegria, and first for Melroy. Launch is scheduled for 7:17 p.m. EDT. Discovery’s landing is expected Oct. 22 at 2:10 p.m. EDT