14 DAY TRIAL // NASA announced its decision to delay the planned move of Discovery. The reason invoked is an inspection of the landing gear to look for cracks.
Last week, a small crack was found on the right main landing gear of the shuttle Atlantis, and NASA wants to make sure Discovery doesn't have the same problem. Managers are confident Discovery will fly in July.
The shuttle program has been in limbo since the Columbia disaster on February 1, 2003. The Columbia exploded during reentry into the earth's atmosphere when a hole in the wing caused the shuttle to disintegrate. All seven astronauts on board were killed.
Officials decided to delay Discovery's return to the assembly building until Thursday so workers could take advantage of the easier access at the launch pad and determine if there are any problems with the shuttle's landing gear door, said Kennedy Space Center spokeswoman Jessica Rye.
Read more at Space.com