Repairs Over, Shuttle Launch Slated for April
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Workers completed repairs on the space shuttle Discovery on Saturday and moved it to an assembly building to be mated with a fuel tank and booster rockets in preparation for a mid-April flight with Sen. Jake Garn (R-Utah).
Discovery was damaged in a processing hangar March 8 when a 2,500-pound overhead work platform fell, breaking a worker’s leg and gashing the shuttle’s cargo bay door in two places.
Technicians had to cut out two sections of the door and replace them with new material. They completed replacement of thermal blankets atop the damaged area early Saturday, and the ship was towed to the nearby assembly hangar in the afternoon.
Once Discovery is joined with the tank and two booster rockets, there will be extensive checkouts to make certain all connections have been made properly. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said the shuttle should be ready to roll to the launch pad Thursday.
NASA has said April 12 is the tentative launch date, but a firm date will not be set for several days.
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