Wayne Hale, the shuttle's program manager, NASA's Debris Design Verification Review has thoroughly tested the insulating foam on the spacecraft's external fuel tank.

At a news briefing, Hale said mission engineers would continue to subject the tank to safety reviews and would work on improvements for future flights.

Hale said foam debris always would fall away from the external tank during launches, but he and his team are convinced the present configuration presents no significant hazards to the spacecraft. "There are no show-stoppers," he told reporters.

The next step in mission planning will be the Design Certification Review for the external tank, which will take place next week. It will be followed by the Flight Readiness Review on June 16 and 17, which will determine the first launch date attempt - expected to be between July 1 and July 19.

Mike Leinbach, the shuttle's launch director, said mission preparations have now proceeded ahead of schedule. "Things are going really, really well," he said.

Steve Lindsey, an Air Force colonel, will command Discovery during his fourth flight aboard the spacecraft - the second as commander. Mark Kelly, a Navy commander, will pilot Discovery on his second flight.

Other crew members include mission specialists Mike Fossum, Stephanie Wilson, Piers Sellers and Navy Commander Lisa Nowak. This will be the first spaceflight for Fossum, Wilson and Nowak, and the second for Sellers.

In addition, Discovery will be carrying ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter to join the space station crew - expanding the facility's complement to three persons for the first time since the Expedition 6 crew returned to Earth on May 4, 2003, following the shuttle Columbia accident and the subsequent grounding of the fleet.

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