Space Shuttle Launch February 24: Watch Live

Watch STS-133 Space Shuttle Launch Live via NASA, SpaceFlightNow

The Space Shuttle Discovery is launching on February 24 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 4:50pm local time. You can watch the Space Shuttle launch live via NASA TV. (NASA mission countdown clock) (Livestream: SpaceFlightNow)

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"R2" Set for Space Station Duty

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The Space Shuttle Discovery will be flying its final mission before being decommissioned. The crew is tasked with ringing a logistics module called the PPM (Permanent Multipurpose Module) and the Express Logistics Carrier 4 (an external platform) to the International Space Station (ISS).

Meet R2: Robonaut

The Discovery crew will also perform two spacewalks for routine maintenance, and will install Robonaut 2, inevitably referred to as R2, a humanoid robot that will reside permanently aboard the ISS once the rest of the team returns to Earth on March 7.

Is Robonaut 2 cool-looking? Yes. R2 will perform dexterous tasks in environments too dangerous for humans. It is humanlike from the waist up, and platform-based from the waist down. Think half-C3PO, half-R2D2... with a dash of the Master Chief.