SPACEPHOTOS

(03/07/2001) --- Space Shuttle Discovery sits poised on Launch Pad 39B, ready for launch at 6:42 a.m. EST March 8 on mission STS-102. Situated above the external tank is the Gaseous Oxygen Vent Arm with the “beanie cap,” a vent hood. The orbiter access arm is extended from the Fixed Service Structure (left) to the orbiter. An environmentally controlled chamber, known as the White Room, is at the end of the arm, providing entrance for the astronaut crew into the orbiter. In the distance, behind the Space Shuttle, can be seen the Atlantic Ocean. On this eighth construction flight to the International Space Station, Discovery carries the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo, the primary delivery system used to resupply and return Station cargo requiring a pressurized environment. Leonardo will deliver up to 10 tons of laboratory racks filled with equipment, experiments and supplies for outfitting the newly installed U.S. Laboratory Destiny