The orbiter Discovery's 8-min. 30-sec, zero-to-Mach 25 launch to orbit will be propelled by Space Shuttle Main Engines and Solid Rocket Boosters that have undergone substantially increased testing and rigorous quality oversight in the two years since the Columbia accident. Any serious propulsion emergency on the 4.5-million-lb. vehicle, climbing initially on 7.4 million lb. thrust, could be a life-or-death issue for the seven-member STS-114 crew. The liftoff here is scheduled for 3:50:47 p.m. EDT July 13 and will move about 25 min. earlier each day in the event of a launch slip.
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