This morning at 6:21 a.m. EST, space shuttle Discovery and its crew embarked on their mission together; Mission STS-131. I woke up early this morning shortly after 5:30 AM to watch live via NASA TV the launch of Discovery and I must say that it was fascinating. Too be honest, I became a little teary eyed once I knew the Discovery and it’s crew was on their way to the ISS safely once launched. Great Job NASA for a successful launch.

Space Shuttle Discovery Launch - Mission STS-131
Image borrowed from NASA’s website – Copyright NASA 2010. All Rights Reserved.

The Mission

The STS-131 mission is the 33rd shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) which has a length of 13 days and will feature three spacewalks.

The STS-131 mission is to deliver supplies and equipment to the ISS. Within the Discovery’s cargo bay is the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (also known as the MPLM), a pressurized moving van that will be temporarily installed to the ISS. This module will deliver supplies to the ISS, a crew sleeping quarters and science racks that will eventually be transferred to the station’s labs. The spacewalks scheduled for this mission will be used to switchout of the station’s backbone (gyroscope on the station’s truss), install a space ammonia storage tank, and retrieve a Japanese experiment from the exterior of the station.

[ Information regarding this mission was quoted from the STS-131 Mission Summary ]

The Future

As many who are enthused and fascinated with what NASA does, you probably already know by know that retirement of the Shuttle Program is approaching very fast. I would agree that it is about time to retire the shuttles, but the real question that arises now is What will the future hold for NASA and space exploration?

I believe that what NASA and other space organizations such as the CSA do is almost mandatory for advancement of our race (the human race) through there innovation and exploration into the universe.

I would like to personally thank NASA and all of their crews for a successful launch! Great Job!

And to the Discovery Crew, Godspeed!