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The payload canister is loaded with the P5 integrated truss segment and SPACEHAB module and transfered to Launch Pad 39B. The canister will be moved into the environmentally controlled payload changeout room on Nov. 7. Now fully assembled inside Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building, Space Shuttle Discovery is set to begin the 4.2-mile trip to Launch Pad 39B at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 9. Once Discovery is in place at the pad, the payloads will be transferred into the orbiter's payload bay.

The Payload Canister holds payloads in transit from various processing or assembly facilities to the launch pad (for vertically installed payloads) or to the Orbiter Processing Facility (for horizontally installed payloads).

Each environmentally controlled Canister can carry payloads up to 15 feet (4.6 meters) in diameter and 60 feet (18.3 meters) long, matching the capacity of the orbiter payload bay. Maximum payload weight is approximately 50,000 pounds (22,680 kilograms).

The Payload Canister Transporter is a 48-wheel, self-propelled truck which can transport the Canister and its hardware either in a vertical or a horizontal position. It is 65 feet (19.8 meters) long and 23 feet (7 meters) wide, with a flatbed that can be lowered and raised from about 5 feet (1.5 meters) to 7 feet (2.1 meters), if required.

Independently steerable wheels permit the Transporter to move forward, backward, sideways, and diagonally, or turn on its own axis like a carousel. Diagonally opposed operator cabs are located on each end of the truck.

When operating between buildings or sites, the transporter uses a 340-horsepower turbocharged diesel engine. Indoors, drive power relies on a 45-kilowatt, 480 VAC 3 electric motor to avoid exhausting hydrocarbons inside the clean room environment. Fully loaded, its top speed is about 5 miles (8 kilometers) per hour. But it can creep as slowly as a 0.25 inch (0.635 centimeter) per second, or approximately 0.014 miles (0.022 kilometers) per hour, for payloads which require precise handling.