If you missed Monday's coverage. Come visit SPACE.com's Atlantis: The Day in Pictures for a visual recap.

The 18-story shuttle and its crew which includes six American astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut now are scheduled to blast off Tuesday during a 10-minute launch window that will open at 3:49 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (19:49 GMT).

Strict NASA flight rules prohibit a shuttle launch if crosswinds at KSCs shuttle runway exceed 15 knots. The reason: Gusty winds could make it difficult if not dangerous for a mission commander to land a shuttle there in an emergency.

The weather is expected to be a factor again Tuesday. An upper-level disturbance over the Gulf of Mexico is expected to sweep toward Florida, bringing with it a chance of rain showers or thunderstorms.

Forecasters, consequently, say there is a 30-percent chance bad weather will prevent a launch on Tuesday.

NASA only has until Wednesday to launch Atlantis before its International Space Station mission would face a two-week delay. The reason: A flurry of other rocket launches and tests already booked on Floridas Space Coast, blocking shuttle launch opportunities until May 11.