Discovery Poised For May Launch

Shuttle Is Rolled Out To Pad For Mission To Space Station

(CBS/AP)  The move went smoothly until gauges gave off false indications about whether the vehicle was level as it climbed a ramp leading to the launch pad. The transporter was backed up to level ground so workers could test the gauges and replace a loose data card that appeared to be the problem. The vehicle resumed moving after about a 2½-hour delay.

Speaking to reporters in mission control in Houston, ascent-entry flight director LeRoy Cain said Discovery's rollout was "an important milestone because it's such a collaborative effort to get to this point."

"What I see here is the people and the machinery coming together," he said. "This is a point in time where we begin to converge all of the people with all of the machinery and we move toward a common goal of launching."

"It's a great sight to see Discovery rolling out to the launch pad, so we know we are getting close," shuttle commander Eileen Collins, who will lead the crew on the next mission, said after completing three simulated landings at Mission Control in Houston.

Shuttle program manager Bill Parsons said he had goose bumps on his arms as he watched the shuttle make its way to the launch pad.

"Today was absolutely special," he said.

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CBS News Space Consultant William Harwood has covered America's space program full time for nearly 20 years, focusing on space shuttle operations, planetary exploration and astronomy. Based at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Harwood provides up-to-the-minute space reports for CBS News and regularly contributes to Spaceflight Now and The Washington Post.