Top Stories
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 Delta 2 rocket launch - A Delta 2 rocket lifts off with an international oceanography satellite.
ESA's lifting body - Europe's re-entry demonstrator should be approved soon for blastoff in late 2013.
Crew arrives at ISS - Next space station crew docks to orbiting complex in Soyuz capsule.
Voyager finds bubbles - The Voyager spacecraft has discovered signs of giant magnetic bubbles at the solar system's outer edge.
Rosetta goes to sleep - ESA's Rosetta comet-chasing spacecraft goes into hibernation.
Shuttle photo op - Spectacular photos of shuttle Endeavour docked to the space station.
Sea Launch update - Two missions are planned this year by Sea Launch from the Pacific Ocean and Kazakhstan.
Fresh crew launched - Reinforcements for the space station crew blast off on a Soyuz rocket.
Picking a destination - NASA will decide this summer where its next Mars rover will land.
Spirit's last images - A collection of the final photos returned from NASA's Spirit rover on Mars.
Atlantis on deck - Beautiful photos of shuttle Atlantis at sunrise on the launch pad.
Endeavour home - Concluding a 16-day mission, Endeavour returns to Earth for the final time.
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Discovery leaves Vehicle Assembly Building
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: January 31, 2011
The shuttle Discovery started its trek back to launch pad 39A at 7:58 p.m. EST Monday after 40 days inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center. Inside the massive facility, engineers inspected and strengthened Discovery's external fuel tank, setting the stage for another launch attempt Feb. 24 on the orbiter's final flight.
Discovery did not get off the ground during a series of tries in early November. NASA suspended launch attempts to address cracks in its fuel tank, eventually leading to Discovery's return to the VAB in December.
These photos were taken inside the 52-story assembly building and at the KSC press site as Discovery departed for the pad atop a diesel-powered crawler.
Spaceflight Now photos by Stephen Clark
Photo credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now
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