NASA Lifts Up Launch Towers Prior to Space Shuttle Liftoff
The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration is about to kick-start its space shuttle program after more than 28 months stuck on Earth. Heavy-duty upgrades to Kennedy Space Center, including jacking up two giant launch structures weighing several thousands of tons, are preparing astronauts for a space shuttle launch scheduled for this summer.
At the launch complex located on Merritt Island, Fla., contractors are engaged in an intricate program of corrosion control and steel reinforcement required by NASAs new "Return to Flight" safeguards. The Discovery liftoff, scheduled mid-to-late July, would be the first space shuttle to fly since the Columbia disaster grounded the fleet two years ago (ENR 2/10/03 p. 11).