Stringer Modifications on External Tank to Wrap Up This Week

In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians are expected to wrap up all modification work on space shuttle Discovery’s external fuel tank stringers this week. Teams worked through the weekend, finishing all the radius block attachments to the stringers. The initial insulation foam reapplication was completed this morning.

Work for the rest of the week will involve additional foam spraying and trimming operations. This will support Discovery’s scheduled rollout back to Launch Pad 39A on Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. EST.

At NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, the STS-133 astronauts, including the newly added Steve Bowen, will run through an ascent proficiency session in the motion base simulator today and will review procedures for the mission’s first spacewalk and robotics work in the virtual reality lab.