NASA's
space shuttle Endeavour is ready for its planned launch into orbit this weekend,
though stormy weather could delay liftoff, mission managers said Wednesday.
Endeavour and
a crew of seven
astronauts are slated to launch toward the International Space Station on Saturday
evening at 7:39 p.m. EDT (2339 GMT). But the potential for thunderstorms and thick
clouds near Endeavour's launch site at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida give
the shuttle only a 40 percent chance of good flight weather, said shuttle weather
officer Kathy Winters.
"That's definitely
a concern for launch," Winters said during a televised mission briefing today.
A series of
afternoon thunderstorms have peppered NASA's spaceport in Cape Canaveral, Fla.,
in recent days in a trend that is expected to weaken only slightly through the
weekend, she added. If weather prevents a Saturday launch
for Endeavour, the forecast will improve for Sunday, Winters said.
Aside from
potentially foul weather, Endeavour is ready to fly after nearly a month of
delays. A hydrogen gas leak associated with a vent line on the shuttle's
15-story external tank thwarted two consecutive launch attempts in mid-June.
Since then, engineers have replaced a misaligned plate on the tank as well as
vent line seal to plug the leak. The fix passed a fueling test last week.
"Endeavour's
in great shape," NASA test director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said, adding
that there are no issues with the shuttle at all. "We're ready to fly this
mission."
Commanded
by veteran shuttle flyer Mark Polansky, Endeavour's six-man, one-woman crew is
set to fly a marathon 16-day mission to the space station. The astronauts will
deliver a new member of the orbiting laboratory's six-man
crew and install the last piece of Japan's massive
Kibo laboratory at the outpost. Five spacewalks are planned for the mission.
"This is a
very busy mission," Blackwell-Thompson said. "We're all eager to get Endeavour
and her crew to the International Space Station."
Polansky
and his crew arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday. NASA plans to
begin the countdown toward Saturday's launch tonight at 10:00 p.m. EDT (0200
July 9 GMT).
Endeavour
has a slim four-day day window to launch toward the space station due to other
incoming traffic at the outpost. According to NASA's current plan,
Endeavour must launch by July 14 or else stand down until July 27 to allow a previously
scheduled unmanned Russian cargo ship to dock at the station. The unmanned
cargo ship can loiter in orbit for a few days if required, NASA has said.
Blackwell-Thompson
said NASA hopes to launch Endeavour by July 13 to avoid interfering with the
cargo ship's normal flight plan.
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