National Aeronautics and Space Administration managers have decided to proceed with repairs on a leaking hydraulic seal in space shuttle Discovery, UPI reported. Technicians were to begin the repair work Wednesday on Discovery's right main-gear strut. The struts act as shock absorbers during the shuttle's landing. Shuttle managers made the decision to proceed with the repairs during a Monday meeting. Discovery had been scheduled to be moved Wednesday from its processing hanger to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center where it will be attached to its external fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters for its upcoming STS-120 mission to the International Space Station. Managers will assess the ongoing repair work to decide how it might affect Discovery's Oct. 23 target launch date. During the same Monday meeting, NASA managers also decided to add an additional spacewalk to the upcoming mission, bringing the total to five. The extra spacewalk -- which will allow astronauts to test tile heat shield repair techniques -- extends the mission to 14 days.
