VIDEO: Space Shuttle Discovery’s ‘Return To Flight’ Mission Launched 10 Years Ago
By NASA.gov // July 27, 2015
ABOVE VIDEO: STS-114 was the first “Return to Flight” Space Shuttle mission following the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. The Space Shuttle Discovery launched at 10:39 a.m. EDT, July 26, 2005 from Cape Canaveral. The launch, 29 months after the loss of Columbia, was approved despite unresolved fuel sensor anomalies in the external tank; those anomalies had prevented the shuttle from launching on July 13, its originally scheduled date. ( p1ntsel Video Via CNN)
BREVARD COUNTY • CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – Ten years ago, on July 26, 2005, Space Shuttle Discovery launched on the STS-114 mission.
This was the first Shuttle flight since the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia on February 1, 2003.
At NASA STS-114 was referred to as the Return to Flight mission.
The time between the Columbia tragedy and the flight of Discovery was spent researching and implementing new safety improvements, including a redesigned external tank, new sensors, and a boom that allowed the astronauts to inspect the Shuttle for any damage while in space.
The STS-114 crew’s objectives were to test and evaluate these new safety procedures in addition to conducting maintenance on the International Space Station.
The mission ended on August 9, 2005 when Discovery landed at Edwards Air Force Base.
