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After suffering a couple of annoying delays caused by problematic Florida weather and a faulty fuel valve, the space shuttle Discovery’s latest mission is well and truly underway after the stalwart orbiter successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday.
Yes, we know this isn\'t the Discovery, but you get the idea. Image: NASA.gov.
However, the arrival was not without incident – albeit minor. Specifically, shuttle commander Rick Struckow was forced to perform the delicate manoeuvre by utilising the spacecraft’s main thrusters because the smaller thrusters normally used for docking were offline.
Despite the slight alteration to the shuttle’s docking procedure, NASA mission commentator Rob Navias still said the ISS rendezvous was “smooth as silk,” while flight director Tony Ceccacci applauded Struckow and said he had flown “like a champ.”
With the shuttle’s crew safely aboard the ISS, mission parameters will see them unloading and installing various pieces of new scientific equipment, which will also involve the execution of three scheduled space walks to further contribute to the station’s ongoing construction.
Included in the Discovery’s payload is an exercise treadmill named the Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill after Comedy Central presenter and comedian Stephen Colbert.
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