NASA engineers have confirmed that the low-fuel sensors have been covered with liquid Hydrogen.
"We'll be watching the data very carefully over the next few minutes," said NASA commentator George Diller. "We'll expect to be getting some data.
"We're expecting at least one of the (Hydrogen) sensors to fail," added Diller. "If we have no failures that would be somewhat of a surprise."
Liquid Oxygen and Hydrogen have moved into the fast-fill configuration.
Engineers believe that faulty wiring or connectors are to blame for the intermittent sensor readings that caused the delay of launch attempts on Dec. 6 and 9. Diagnostic instruments have been attached to the sensor wiring.
Atlantis is scheduled to launch Jan. 10 on a construction mission to the International Space Station. The shuttle and seven-member crew will deliver the Columbus laboratory module, which was built by the European Space Agency.
Meanwhile at the space station, astronauts Peggy Whitson and Dan Tani are conducting a critical spacewalk to determine the extent of damage to the joints that turn a solar wing toward the sun to generate electricity
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