Later during this week, NASA will be running some important tests to determine whether it would be safe to fly the shuttle Discovery, inspite of all the valve troubles that had managed to crop up over the weekend during an important propellant-loading operation that was being undertaken at the Kennedy Space Center.

If the tests are successful, they could end up providing managers with all the data they need in order to prove that Discovery can be launched as scheduled on April 05, and will definitely fly safely through its International Space Station outfitting mission.

At 6:21 AM, Eastern, on April 05, Discovery and seven selected astronauts are scheduled to take off from launch pad 39A. The space shuttle will haul up an Italian cargo carrier, that would be filled with science racks and lots of equipment and supplies to the International Space Station.

The mission scheduled for April 05 is one of the four station outfitting missions that are still waiting to happen before the retirement of the shuttle fleet.