WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

Against the backdrop of a clear blue sky and the bluer Atlantic Ocean, the Space Shuttle Discovery, on its mobile launcher platform, sits on Launch Pad 39B. Liftoff of Discovery on mission STS-96 is targeted for May 20 at 9:32 a.m. EDT. STS-96 is a logistics and resupply mission for the International Space Station, carrying such payloads as a Russian crane, the Strela; a U.S.-built crane; the Spacehab Oceaneering Space System Box (SHOSS), a logistics items carrier; and STARSHINE, a student-led experiment.