Discovery cargo set for move to space station

A day after the space shuttle Discovery docked with the International Space Station, astronauts are planning Monday to unload an enormous storage container holding science experiments and supplies for the orbiting outpost.

Astronauts aboard the space station plan to unload the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module on Monday afternoon from the shuttle's cargo bay using the station's Canadarm 2.

The Canadarm 2 will then move it to its temporary home on the front of station, allowing the station crew to access close to 6,900 kilograms of cargo inside.

Among the cargo to be transferred aboard the module are scientific experiments and experiment racks, along with new crew quarters to accommodate the station's expanded numbers.

It's only the second time 13 people are together in orbit. The first was last month during space shuttle Endeavour's space station visit.

Canadian-made sensors tested

The 13-day mission will also drop off astronaut Nicole Stott, 46, who will remain on the orbiting space station until another shuttle goes to get her in November. Discovery will bring back another astronaut who has been on the space station for two months.

The astronauts will also perform three spacewalks to replace an ammonia tank and perform other outside maintenance. The first spacewalk will occur Tuesday night.

Discovery's arrival on Sunday night provided NASA the opportunity to test new Canadian technology designed to make it easier for spacecraft to make an unmanned docking.

The shuttle will be testing Ottawa-based space technology company Neptec Design Group's TriDAR sensors, which rely on a combination of a 3-D laser sensor and a thermal imager to provide a guide of the geometric shape of the spacecraft. The TriDAR technology will also be tested again when the shuttle undocks and flies around the station before departing.