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 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - NASA took a major step toward returning to spaceflight early Thursday when space shuttle Discovery was moved to a launch pad in preparation for its scheduled May liftoff — the first since the Columbia tragedy two years ago.
The shuttle reached the launch pad after midnight following a 10 1/2-hour trip, crawling at a pace no faster than 1 mile an hour in a 4.2-mile journey from an assembly building.
The start of the move was briefly delayed by the discovery of a crack in the external fuel tank's foam insulation. NASA later said the crack was no reason for concern.
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