KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A tugboat slides into place next to the Pegasus barge in the Turn Basin, located near the Vehicle Assembly Building (at left) to move it into the channel on its way to Port Canaveral. The Pegasus is leaving NASA Kennedy Space Center for the Michoud Assembly Plant in Mississippi to get the external tank for the next shuttle mission, STS-121. To make the round trip from the port, the barge is towed by one of the solid rocket booster retrieval ships. The tank has been undergoing inspection and maintenance at the assembly plant. Space Shuttle Discovery is scheduled to launch in May. Photo credit: NASA/Debbie Kiger
Location Kennedy Space Center, FL
Date February 17, 2006