Atlantis ready for first flight

[Guest Glenn]

Source: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21 ... 02,00.html

 

AFTER a three-month delay, Atlantis is ready to blast off on Saturday on the first space shuttle mission of the year as NASA presses on with efforts to finish the International Space Station.Atlantis was originally scheduled to launch in March, but a freak hail storm damaged the shuttle's massive external fuel tank as the orbiter stood on its Florida launch pad, forcing NASA to bring it back to its hangar for repairs.

 

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration yesterday began the countdown for Saturday's launch, scheduled for 7.38pm local time at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral on Florida's east coast.

 

NASA officials said the shuttle was in tip-top shape, while forecasts gave a 70 per cent chance of favourable weather as winds were expected to nudge clouds away to give Atlantis an open sky for the launch.

 

The seven shuttle astronauts - all American men - arrived in Cape Canaveral on Tuesday from their base at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, as they prepare for the 21st shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

 

"All our systems right now are in great shape - we're tracking no constraints that are show stoppers," NASA Test Director Steve Payne said yesterday.

 

"Teams are ready and everybody's eager to launch - we're looking forward to a successful assembly mission," he said.

 

If a technical glitch or nasty weather force a delay, NASA has until June 12 to launch the shuttle, but Kathy Winters, the launch weather officer, was optimistic overnight.

 

There was a slight risk of thunderstorms in the area, but they should blow further west and clear by launch time on Saturday, she said.