NASA's Shuttle Discovery Begins Mission to the Space Station

Oct. 23, 2007

June Malone
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1071
june.e.malone@xxxxxxxx

George Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
george.h.diller@xxxxxxxx

RELEASE: 07-231

NASA'S SHUTTLE DISCOVERY BEGINS MISSION TO THE SPACE STATION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The space shuttle Discovery and its
seven-member crew lifted off Tuesday, Oct. 23, from NASA's Kennedy
Space Center in Florida at 11:38 a.m. EDT to continue construction of
the International Space Station.

During the 14-day mission, designated STS-120, Discovery's crew will
continue construction of the space station with the installation of
the Harmony connecting module, also known as Node 2. The crew, led by
Commander Pam Melroy, will conduct five spacewalks during the
mission, four by shuttle crew members and one by the station's
Expedition 16 crew.

Discovery is scheduled to dock to the station on Thursday, Oct. 25.
The addition of the Harmony module sets the stage for the arrival of
new research laboratories from the European Space Agency and the
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in upcoming shuttle missions.
During the mission, the STS-120 crew also will move the station's
Port 6 segment of the station's backbone, or truss, and its solar
arrays to a permanent position at the end of the truss' left side.

Joining Melroy on the STS-120 crew are Pilot George Zamka, Mission
Specialists Scott Parazynski, Doug Wheelock, Stephanie Wilson, Daniel
Tani and European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli. Tani will
serve as mission specialist aboard Discovery and join the Expedition
16 Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko, who
arrived at the station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft Oct. 12.

Tani will rotate positions with station resident Clayton Anderson.
After five months on the station, Anderson will return with
Discovery's crew at the conclusion of the STS-120 mission.

This is the 120th space shuttle flight, the 34th flight for Discovery
and the 23rd U.S. flight to the International Space Station.

For more information about the STS-120 mission, including images and
interviews with the crew, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle


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