Shuttle ready for terminal countdown test

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., May 5 (UPI) -- U.S. space shuttle Discovery will undergo a terminal countdown test this week in preparation for its STS-124 mission to the International Space Station.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said the shuttle, now at its Kennedy Space Center launch pad, will under go its "dress rehearsal" countdown Tuesday through Friday.

Discovery and its seven-member crew are to lift off May 31 on a 13-day mission to deliver the Kibo laboratory's large Japanese Pressurized Module and its remote manipulator system to the space station, NASA said. Three spacewalks are scheduled for the mission.

STS-124 astronauts and space center ground crews will participate in the simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training.