NASA Sets Aug. 4 for 1st Shuttle Flight Since Challenger
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The National Aeronautics and Space Administration today set Aug. 4 as the new date for the first post-Challenger space shuttle flight, two months later than the original target.
Rear Adm. Richard M. Truly, NASA associate administrator for spaceflight, announced the new date, saying he was pleased with the progress of the shuttle program toward resuming flight.
He said that under the new schedule, the shuttle Discovery, which will make the first flight, will be rolled to the launch pad May 13. A 20-second firing of the spacecraft’s three main liquid fuel engines is scheduled for June 13, with the vehicle bolted firmly to the pad.
NASA had to scrub a June 2 launch date after the failure of a nozzle part during the test-firing of a solid fuel booster rocket in late December.
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