Hatch closes; Crew ready; Weather iffy

Clouds passed near Discovery before launch.

With the seven astronauts settled in their seats, Discovery's hatch closed at 9:38 a.m. and the astronauts prepared to wait about two hours for the the 11:38 a.m. launch.

The astronauts completed communication checks.

After the hatch is completely latched, a check of cabin pressure must be conducted before launch.

While skies were temporarily clear, showers were moving in from the south.

"We're looking at a couple of rainstorms," said Lt. Col. Patrick Barrett, Air Force forecaster. "It looks like they'll be in the area right about launch."

Other launch milestones:

9:33 a.m. - hatch closes
10:44 a.m. - MMT conducts final "go/no go" poll
11:38 a.m. - launch
11:46 a.m. - main engine cutoff/orbit



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