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Shuttle countdown on track BY WILLIAM HARWOOD STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION Posted: December 5, 2006 The shuttle Discovery's countdown is proceeding smoothly toward blastoff Thursday, engineers said today. Forecasters now predict a 70 percent chance of good weather for NASA's first night launching since the 2003 Columbia disaster. The countdown began at 11 p.m. Monday and engineers are gearing up to fill the shuttle's internal tanks with liquid oxygen and hydrogen this evening to power the ship's three electricity producing fuel cells. "Our systems currently are in great shape, the countdown is progressing and we have no issues of consequence," said NASA Test Director Steve Payne. "The teams are ready and we're looking forward to an incredible mission of space shuttle Discovery and a safe and successful landing."
The odds worsen to 60 percent no-go for launch attempts Friday and Saturday, primarily due to low clouds and high winds. Shuttle weather officer Kathy Winters said the long-range outlook beyond Saturday is generally favorable, although winds will remain a concern next week. The weather at emergency runways in California and New Mexico is expected to be favorable Thursday, Friday and Saturday and at least one emergency runway will be available all three days in Spain and France. "Overall, the first day is the best day weather wise and the TAL sites look good all three days," Winters said. "So our main concern will just be the ceilings on launch day and then the winds the following two days." This will be NASA's third flight this year and its first night launch since 2002. Payne said the launch team is eager to resume more normal launch operations after three years of recovery. "We're getting more comfortable with being able to do this on a more regular basis," he said. "We came here to launch, this is what we do for a living, this is what we like to do. So getting to do it more often is exciting for most of us. It's a lot more fun doing launches than doing the in-between parts. So we're very happy to be here and we're eager to be here on Thursday night and get this launch in the air." NASA managers are reviewing the status of Discovery's launch processing and will brief reporters later today.
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THIS MORNING'S COUNTDOWN STATUS REPORT 