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The continue is seeking great for NASAs programmed Mondaylaunch of the space convey Discovery.
The convey and the sevenastronaut organisation have an 80percent possibility of transparent skies for their programmed Mondayblastoff toward the International Space Station.� Liftoff is setfor 6:21 a.m. EDT (1021 GMT) from a strand launch desk desk pad at NASAs Kennedy SpaceCenter in Florida.
"Overall, we"re seeking at a great possibility of goodweather," pronounced convey continue military officer Kathy Winters in a mission briefing. "Itshould be a great morning."
Only the possibility of low clouds or haze poise any regard forthe nearing launch, she added.
Discoverys programmed 13day mission is one of NASAs fewremaining convey flights prior to the space group retires the aging,threeorbiter swift after this year. Only 4 flights remain, includingDiscoverys nearing STS131 mission [see the weirdestNASA posters].
"We had a short flyby of the desk desk pad and saw the great shipDiscovery out there, and it looks great," mission commander in chief Alan Poindextertold reporters progressing currently after nearing at the launch site with hiscrewmates. "We"re ready to go."
Poindexter commands a fourman,threewoman organisation aiming to broach some-more than 27,000 pounds (12,246kg) of supplies, load and new scholarship apparatus for the space station. Threespacewalks are programmed to reinstate a large gyroscope for perspective carry out andinstall a gangling ammonia tank, between alternative chores.
Launching aboard Discovery with Poindexter will beshuttle commander Jim Dutton and mission specialists Rick Mastracchio, DottieMetcalfLindenburger, Stephanie Wilson, Clayton Anderson and Naoko Yamazaki �Japans second womanlike wanderer � who represents the Japan AerospaceExploration Agency.
The actuality that Discoverys Monday launch will symbol thisshuttles secondtolast mission was not lost on the astronauts. NASA plans to retireits 3 space shuttles in the fall, after scarcely thirty years ofservice, and rely on blurb booster to launch astronauts to the spacestation.
"Although one day we"ll all turn piece of the story ofNASA, we"re regularly piece of the future," Anderson said.
Snoopy to SciFi: Offbeat Space Mission Posters NASAs Most Memorable Missions Final Countdown: A Guide to NASAs Last Space Shuttle Missions| _______________________ |
