Cupola Successfully Repositioned; Next Shuttle Launch May Slip

The Tranquility Module and its “bay window” — or Cupola — have been successfully attached to the International Space Station (ISS) by space shuttle Endeavour (STS-130) and ISS crews. Repositioning of the Cupola to its final location was achieved in the early hours (EST) of February 15. It now points down towards Earth, providing an impressive window on the world. Endeavour is scheduled to return to Earth on February 21. Meanwhile, the next shuttle launch may be delayed.

Currently scheduled for March 18, Discovery’s STS-131 launch may slip to early April according to NASASpaceflight.com. It remains unusually chilly in the Kennedy Space Center area, slowing the move of Discovery into the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) because the temperatures in the VAB are too cold for some shuttle systems. That means a slip to the launch date, which must be interleaved with the next Soyuz launch to ISS. Hence the shuttle may slip to the first week of April, according to the website.