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CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's space shuttle Discovery stands poised for
its planned July 1 launch, though weather concerns cloud the upcoming space shot.
There is a
60 percent chance that afternoon storms, thick clouds and lightning may prevent
Discovery from launching its seven-astronaut STS-121 crew toward the
International Space Station (ISS), shuttle weather officials said Wednesday.
"Obviously
these forecasts, while they sound a little bit gloomy, we've certainly launched
with higher predictions of no-go," NASA test director Jeff Spaulding told
reporters here at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). "As always, we'll evaluate the
weather real-time and make the decisions on day of launch."
The poor
weather outlook stretches through the first few days of Discovery's launch
window, which closes on July 19, though launch officials are hopefully they
will be able to secure at least four launch attempts over the first five days.
If NASA can launch the spacecraft within the first three days, its 12-day
mission could be extended one day to allow a third
spacewalk to test heat shield repair techniques, launch officials.
Discovery's
STS-121
mission, commanded by veteran shuttle astronaut Steven
Lindsey, is the second orbiter test flight since the 2003 Columbia accident. The
mission will test shuttle fuel tank modifications, orbiter inspection and
repair methods, and deliver vital supplies to the ISS.
The
countdown for Discovery's planned STS-121 launch, set for 3:48:37 p.m. EDT (1948:37 GMT)
Radar
for the birds
Meanwhile
launch officials have drawn new plans to scan for birds flying over Discovery's
launch pad during Saturday's countdown, and could hold the liftoff if a pesky
avian could be hit by the spacecraft during liftoff.
A new radar
will monitor bird movements over Discovery's flight path and the spacecraft's
launch countdown can now be held at T-31 seconds if there's a chance a vulture
could be hit during liftoff.
The move,
Spaulding said, is a result of Discovery's July 2005 launch, in which a
vulture - a common bird seen around KSC's wildlife refuge location - was struck
by the spacecraft's external tank during liftoff. It was the first time a bird
has been struck by the vehicle during launch, he added.
"We wanted
to make sure we could address the situation," Spaulding said, adding that
launch officials want to prevent a bird strike that could damage Discovery's
heat shield during liftoff. "It sounds like we have a new bird problem, but...we
really don't have anything more than we've had previously."
Balloons
are sometimes employed to scare off smaller birds, but a plan to frighten
vultures and other large feathered flyers using an audio recording has stalled
because speakers at Discovery's Pad 39B launch site point down - so pad workers
can hear announcements - rather than skyward, Spaulding added.
Earlier KSC
efforts to collect roadkill, a food source for vultures, has proven effective
in reducing their numbers near Discovery's launch pad, and the birds will be
trapped and released elsewhere on launch day, NASA officials said.
While pad
workers continue to prepare Discovery for its July 1 launch, the spacecraft's
payload is in ship shape, said Debbie Hahn, STS-121 payload manager.
The only remaining
items to be packed aboard the orbiter - which includes a batch of fruit
flies -will be installed in its middeck compartments at L-27 hours in the
countdown, she added.
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