Posted: Thu, Aug 2, 2001, 1:13 PM ET (1713 GMT)
NASA announced late Wednesday that the space shuttle Discovery has been cleared for an August 9 launch on a mission to exchange space station crews. Shuttle managers approved a launch of Discovery on mission STS-105 at 5:38 pm EDT (1938 GMT) Thursday, August 9. The main purpose of the 12-day mission is to exchange crews on the International Space Station. Discovery will ferry to the station the Expedition Three crew of Frank Culbertson, Vladimir Dezhurov, and Mikhail Tyurin, and return with the Expedition Two crew currently on the station: Yuri Usachev, Jim Voss, and Susan Helms. STS-105 will be commanded by Scott Horowitz with Frederick "Rick" Sturckow as pilot. Two mission specialists on the STS-105 mission, Patrick Forrester and Daniel Barry, will perform two spacewalks while the shuttle is docked to the station to install logistical equipment and prepare the station for future assembly work.

Related Links:

•  NASA/KSC press release
•  spaceflight.nasa.gov information about mission