[sarex] LATEST SHUTTLE NEWS - Three Days to Go

[Arthur Rowe]

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468    
     
     Three Days to Go

The STS-116 crew arrived Sunday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in 
Florida to begin final preparations for launch on the STS-116 mission, a 
construction flight to the International Space Station.

At Launch Pad 39B, Space Shuttle Discovery is safely enveloped by the 
pad's rotating service structure, which protects the shuttle assembly 
from the elements while providing access for technicians. The structure 
will be rolled back to the "park" position early Thursday morning, 
revealing the shuttle poised for launch.

The countdown is set to begin tonight at 11 p.m., with the clock 
starting at the T-43 hour mark. There are 27 hours, 36 minutes of hold 
time built into the countdown, leading to a preferred liftoff time at 
9:35 p.m. EST.
+ Countdown 101

Primary payloads on the 12-day mission are the P5 integrated truss 
segment, SPACEHAB single logistics module and an integrated cargo 
carrier. This will be the 20th flight to the station.

STS-116 Resources
+ STS-116 TV Schedule
+ Certificate of Flight Readiness
+ News and Media Resources