NASA has settled on April 5 as a launch date for space shuttle Discovery.
Senior managers met Friday and agreed unanimously on the launch date. They determined that leaky helium valves aboard Discovery would pose no safety concerns.
Discovery will haul up spare parts and extra supplies for the International Space Station. The mission is one of four remaining shuttle flights. During the two-week mission, President Barack Obama will travel to Florida to discuss his post-shuttle plans for NASA.
Obama supports deep-space exploration, but has yet to lay out a destination for astronauts or a timetable. He axed the Constellation moon program set up by his predecessor.
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