Shuttle Discovery

Pre-Flight Activities, Rarely Seen by the General Public


These photos deserve a wide viewing audience: the amount of thought and engineering that goes into every launch is immense; each successful take-off represents the Mankind's finest effort, and is a wonder to behold.


 

External tank arrives by barge from Louisiana:










External tank approaches Vertical Assembly Building (VAB):





Removing external tank:




















Preparing to lift the tank to vertical:





Lifting the tank:





Solid rockets are attached:





Orbiter: External tank with Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB):





Engines are attached to the shuttle in the Orbiter Processing Facility:




















Shuttle in sling ready for lift in VAB:





Shuttle has been moved to VAB and will be attached to external tank:










Shuttle is attached:




















Payload Preparation in Space Station Processing Facility:










Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM):





Payload carrier leaves Canister Rotation Facility:










Payload being moved to Launch Pad:










Lifting payload into position for insertion into "Discovery" 
when it arrives at the pad:















Shuttle "Discovery" leaves VAB:










Trip to launch: 
Length - 3 1/2 mi
Time - 6-8 hours
Arrow indicates the Launch Pad. 










Crawler Control










"Discovery" arrives at Pad:





Payload is also inside the Launch Pad:




















Ready for Launch:





We Have Lift Off !

The Worst Beach in the World

What a comfort! Jump out of airplane in a few meters from the ground, namely jump right into the sea… and annual leave already starting! WOW! It’s very practical! Bags leave in the plane. However, they may have to wait at the airport. It is so close. It is important to take good ransom and enjoy the benefits of summer vacation. Albeit a little loud holiday. But who cares