SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

*Tests Under Way on Discovery's Repairs* Discovery's starboard landing gear.

Image above: With repairs of the hydraulic leak completed, tests on Discovery's right landing gear have begun inside the Orbiter Processing Facility. Image credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller + View larger image http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/170419main_strutfix-lg.JPG

With space shuttle Discovery's right landing gear reassembled following the replacement of its four hydraulic seals, technicians now are carrying out a series of tests on the system. Once these tests are concluded on Saturday and the repairs have been determined successful, the way would be cleared for Discovery's move on Sunday from its processing hangar at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to the Vehicle Assembly Building. Depending on how processing operations go, rollout to the launch pad could take place one week later.

One of Discovery’s struts, which act as shock absorbers during the shuttle's landing, began leaking hydraulic fluid last week.

Once Discovery is in the Vehicle Assembly Building, it will be attached to its external fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters for its upcoming mission, STS-120, to the International Space Station.

While NASA managers will continue to assess the progress, the ongoing preparations would still support Discovery’s Oct. 23 target launch date.

*Mission Information* + STS-120 Mission Overview http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts120/index.html + Harmony Node 2 http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/harmony.html + Space Shuttle Discovery http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/shuttleoperations/orbiters/discovery-info.html