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Count on track; weather outlook worsens slightly BY WILLIAM HARWOOD STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION Posted: August 25, 2006 The shuttle Atlantis' countdown continues to tick smoothly toward launch on a space station assembly mission. Liftoff is targeted for 4:30 p.m. Sunday. The latest forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of favorable weather, improving to 80 percent "go" Monday and Teusday. The concern Sunday is for possible afternoon thunderstorms within the launch area. Engineers started the countdown six hours early Thursday in hopes of loading oxygen and hydrogen fuel cell supplies before afternoon thunderstorms develop. NASA test director Pete Nickolenko said that operation should be complete later this afternoon and if storms interrupt the procedure, more than enough "hold" time is available to catch up after the weather passes. "All our systems are in great shape, the countdown is right on schedule and we're tracking no issues," he said. "All of our teams are ready, they're focused and we're all looking forward to launch on Sunday and the return to (station) assembly." Shuttle weather officer Kathy Winters said Sunday's launch weather will depend on the movement of a high pressure ridge and whether expected thunderstorms move inland or stay near the coast. She said forecasters are monitoring tropical depression No. 5 south of Puerto Rico, which may strengthen to hurricane status by Monday, but the storm appears to be heading for the Gulf of Mexico and does not currently pose a threat to the shuttle launch site.
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STS-115 patch The official crew patch for the STS-115 mission of space shuttle Atlantis to resume orbital construction of the International Space Station. Choose your store:U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide  |
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Space shuttle Atlantis is delivered to Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39B on August 2 to begin final preparations for blastoff on the STS-115 mission to resume construction of the International Space Station.
Just after 1 a.m. local time August 2, the crawler-transporter began the slow move out of the Vehicle Assembly Building carrying space shuttle Atlantis toward the launch pad.
Space shuttle Atlantis is transported to the cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building where the ship will be mated to the external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters for a late-August liftoff.
VIDEO:
FRIDAY'S COUNTDOWN STATUS 