[sarex] Discovery's "Go" for Tuesday Launch

[Arthur Rowe]

SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

*Discovery's "Go" for Tuesday Launch*
21 October 2007

At the STS-120 Launch Readiness News Conference Sunday morning, LeRoy 
Cain, launch integration manager, pointed to the weather as the only 
question mark for the launch week ahead. He reported all is "ready to 
move forward to launch on Tuesday."

  Image Above: The STS-120 crew are, from left, Commander Pamela Melroy, 
Pilot George Zamka and Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski, Stephanie 
Wilson, Doug Wheelock, Paolo Nespoli and Daniel Tani. Image credit: 
NASA/Kim Shiflett
+ View larger image 
<http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/170419main_crew-lg.jpg>

Weather officer Kathy Winters called Tuesday's weather "promising" at 60 
percent favorable. She explained that they continue tracking a frontal 
boundary that may now arrive on Wednesday, earlier than previously 
predicted. The front should be out in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, but 
the timing of the front's arrival could cause problems for a Wednesday 
launch attempt should Tuesday's launch not occur. Weather should improve 
once the front passes through the area. There is still only a 10 percent 
chance that weather could prohibit tanking for Tuesday's liftoff.

Mike Leinbach, space shuttle launch director, said they are right on 
their timeline with no issues in work. He gave credit to the hard work 
of the processing teams preparing the shuttle for launch.

Discovery's crew of seven astronauts arrived in Florida on Friday and 
have been going through final checklists and preparations for Tuesday's 
liftoff.

Discovery is scheduled to return to Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility 
at 4:47 a.m. Nov. 6.

*Mission Information*
+ STS-120 Mission Overview 
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts120/index.html>
+ Harmony Node 2 
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/behindscenes/harmony_payload.html> 

+ Space Shuttle Discovery 
<http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/shuttleoperations/orbiters/discovery-info.html>