The skies above NASA's Florida spaceport look to be clear
for tomorrow's planned launch of the space shuttle Atlantis.
Atlantis is slated
to lift off at 2:28 p.m. EST (1928 GMT) on Nov. 16 from Launch Pad 39A at
Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
"It's a beautiful day here at Kennedy Space
Center," said shuttle weather officer Kathy Winters during a Sunday
briefing. "Tomorrow is going to be very similar."
Winters predicted only a 10 percent chance of a cloud ceiling
moving in over the launch
pad to prevent a flight on Monday.
The main weather concerns are predicted swells and high seas
in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Cape Canaveral, where boats plan to retrieve
the shuttle's spent solid rocket boosters after liftoff. If the waves are too
high, the recovery teams may have to wait to fetch the boosters. The issue is
not a constraint for launch, though.
The countdown toward
liftoff is underway for Atlantis, with the large metal protective shroud
covering it at the launch pad set to be removed Sunday at 5:30 p.m. EST (2200
GMT). Ground teams will begin loading the shuttle's huge orange external tank with
its liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants at around 5 a.m. EST (1000
GMT) on Monday.
"We've had a very clean countdown to date and are currently
on schedule with no problems to report," said NASA test director Steve
Payne.
The STS-129 mission is a planned 11-day trip to the International
Space Station to deliver two carriers filled with large spare parts. Commander
Charlie Hobaugh is set to lead six astronauts on the mission, including three
first-time spaceflyers.
"At this point we're in very good shape — Atlantis is
ready to launch, the team is ready to launch, and I know that the flight crew
is ready to launch," Payne said.
SPACE.com is providing complete coverage of Atlantis'
STS-129 mission to the International Space Station with Managing Editor Tariq
Malik and Staff Writer Clara Moskowitz in New York. Click here for shuttle mission
updates and a link to NASA TV.
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