Discovery shuttle moved to launchpad

ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The space shuttle Discovery was moved Sunday to a launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in preparation for its planned Oct. 23 liftoff.

The 3 1/2-mile journey took about six hours, the Houston Chronicle reported.

On the planned space mission, a crew of seven astronauts will install a module that will be a gateway between the U.S. laboratory on the International Space Station and future European and Japanese labs, the newspaper said.

The crew will also reposition the station's 18-ton solar power device and go on spacewalks to prepare for future repairs on the Hubble Space Telescope.

Mission commander Pam Melroy will become the first woman to command a shuttle mission.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International

NewsTrack: Discovery shuttle moved to launchpad