The crew of STS-124 will be delivering the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Kibo Pressurized Module (PM), from inside the cargo bay of the space shuttle, to the International Space Station (ISS).

Crew, space shuttle, Kibo PM, external tank and a couple of solid rocket boosters are now scheduled for a liftoff time of 5:01 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (2100 GMT) on Saturday, March 31, 2008.

External tank-128 (ET-128) arrived a bit late to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on March 26 due to an adverse weather system--high winds in Florida.

Because the external tank needs several days to be mated to the orbiter, the necessary time for the original May 25 launch had already passed. Thus, the new date was set.

In addition, NASA decided not to launch on May 25 so that launch personnel for STS-124 would not have to work over the U.S. Memorial Day weekend.

The launch date is still not set in stone, however. About two weeks before the preliminary launch date of May 31, a regularly scheduled Flight Readiness Review (FRR) will be held to access the readiness of the shuttle and mission.

Discovery's mission is the second of three flights that will launch components to complete the JAXA’s Kibo laboratory. The Japanese Pressurized Module will be the station's largest science laboratory, measuring 37 feet (11.3 meter) in length and 14 feet (4.3 meters) in diameter, about the rough size of a large school bus.

The shuttle also will deliver the lab's robotic arm system that support operations outside of Kibo. The lab's logistics module, which was installed in a temporary location during the last mssion, STS-123, will be attached to the new laboratory.

In all, the mission will involve two spacewalks to install the new lab and its remote manipulator system.

Check out who is commanding the shuttle on STS-124 and the number of spacewalks scheduled while visiting the orbiting space base.

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Mark E. Kelly (Navy Commander) will be the commander of the seven-member STS-124 crew, which also includes pilot Kenneth T. Ham (Navy commander), mission specialists Karen L. Nyberg, Ronald Garan, Jr. (Air Force colonel), Mike Fossum, Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and Greg Chamitoff.

Chamitoff will replace Expedition 16/17 flight engineer Garrett Reisman and remain aboard the space station as a member of the ISS Expedition 17 crew.

Reisman will return to KSC with the STS-124 crew, now scheduled for a landing on June 11.

The mission will include two spacewalks to install the new laboratory and its remote manipulator system (RMS).

The lab's logistics module, which was installed in a temporary location during STS-123, will be attached to the new lab during this mission.

For more information on the STS-124 crew, along with bibliography of each astronaut, and mission (the 26th mission to the International Space Station), go to NASA STS-124.

The prime website for NASA's space shuttle "program" is: NASA Space Shuttle.

[Note from author: Freudian slip...]