Discovery crew expects busy flight

0 Comments | USA TODAY, July, 2005 | by Traci Watson

CAPE CANAVERAL -- As much trouble as NASA has had in launching space shuttle Discovery, another difficult feat lies ahead: its 12-day mission.

Discovery's delayed liftoff, scheduled for Tuesday, will inaugurate an action-packed flight. Even the Discovery astronauts, people accustomed to strenuous effort and risk, seem a bit daunted by it.

"We're working very, very hard on this mission," Discovery commander Eileen Collins, a veteran of three flights, said this spring. "Flight day one through flight day five are going to be very difficult. We're going to be doing many things that have never been done before."

Shuttle managers said Sunday that they plan to press ahead with the launch, although they still don't know what caused one of four fuel gauges to fail,...