Nine months after the issues with the Space Shuttle Discovery, NASA is once again preparing for the next shuttle flight.
According to the recently announced schedule, the upcoming flight, which will feature a crew of 2 women and 4 men, is set to launch sometime between May 3 and May 25, 2006.
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NASA’s Space Shuttle. |
The space flight from July 26 to August 9 last year encountered several problems. After launch, the shuttle’s external fuel tank was struck by a piece of insulation. For safety reasons, NASA temporarily suspended the shuttle program.
The upcoming flight in May will include a German astronaut from the European Space Agency (ESA). This astronaut will not return with the Discovery but will remain to continue working on the International Space Station (ISS). Thus, for the first time since May 2003, the ISS will have 3 astronauts working together.
