STS-128 Update
Wednesday 19 August 2009 at 09:32 am
Per Spaceflight Now:After a lengthy technical discussion, NASA managers decided Tuesday the shuttle Discovery's external tank can be safely flown as is, without the need for additional time-consuming inspections of its foam insulation, clearing the way for launch next week on a space station resupply mission.
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But late Tuesday, agency officials speaking through Twitter said "the tank discussion is over and everyone had the chance to offer a viewpoint. At this point, the FRR decided we're OK to fly as is."
An official launch date is expected to be set Wednesday, but the internal processing target is Aug. 25 at 1:36 a.m. EDT, one day later than the previous target because of unplanned work at the launch pad.
You can thank NASA for coming as close as we'll probably ever get -- hopefully as close as we'll ever get -- to uniting Captain Kirk and Luke Skywalker.
Last week's 
And then there were eight.
