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Published online 8 July 2005 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news050704-13
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The long road to a safe launch
Discovery has faced a difficult journey even before lift-off.
It has taken more than two years to get the space shuttle Discovery ready for launch, after the Columbia disaster of February 2003. NASA staff have faced a rigorous list of safety requirements to make their shuttles shipshape, and there have been a number of mishaps along the road to lift-off.
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