File:KSC-05-S-00165 (ksc 062405 sssr).webm

English: Next on the NASA Space Shuttle Status Report: Discovery's payload is loaded and ready to go_ Plus, final checkout work is in progress, readying Space Shuttle Discovery for a July launch window_ Then, the third redesigned External Tank has arrived_ And Atlantis closes its payload bay doors, gearing up for its mission to the International Space Station. NASA is preparing to Return to Flight and the Space Shuttle Status Report starts right now_ After a successful rollout to the launch pad, Discovery's payload is now loaded into the cargo bay and ready to fly into space on mission STS-114 to the International Space Station_ I'm Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, NASA test director and this is the NASA Space Shuttle Status Report. Now that Discovery is back at the launch pad awaiting the opening of a launch window that begins July 13, final checkout and testing work is now under way. On June 17, technicians removed Discovery's three payloads from their transport canister. With the help of the Payload Ground Handling Mechanism, or PGHM, they were positioned inside the orbiter. The payloads are packed with supplies for the International Space Station. The payload doors will remain open for a final inspection by the crew, then close late this month for flight. On June 22nd, the hypergolic propellants -- monomethyl hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide -- were loaded into Discovery's Orbiter Maneuvering System and the Forward Reaction Control System. While Discovery prepares at the pad, Kennedy Space Center Media Services is preparing for the thousands of print, web, radio and television journalists planning worldwide coverage of the launch. In just a few weeks, your favorite media outlet will most likely provide launch day coverage from right here at the Kennedy Space Center. You can also watch the launch live on NASA TV and on our website, nasa.gov. Work on Space Shuttle Atlantis is picking up inside the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1 to prepare it for a September launch. Right now, power-up system testing is nearly complete. The payload bay has been cleaned, and the doors closed for a final time before flight. Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, technicians are preparing Atlantis' External Tank and Solid Rocket Boosters to be attached to the orbiter. This stack was originally scheduled to fly with Discovery but will now fly on mission STS-121. Finally on this week's Space Shuttle Status Report, the third redesigned External Tank, ET-119, has arrived at Kennedy Space Center. It is also inside the VAB, where it will be prepped to fly on a future space shuttle mission. That’s all the time we have for this week’s Space Shuttle Status Report. Be sure to check back next week for the latest updates as NASA prepares for a safe Return to Flight mission to the International Space Station this July. To learn more about the Return to Flight mission, and for other mission news, log on to nasa.gov. I'm Charlie Blackwell-Thompson for the NASA Space Shuttle Status Report.