The Rotating Service Structure at Launch Complex 39A began backing away from the 18-story spaceship shortly after 8 p.m., leaving the launch vehicle poised for a planned 4:50 p.m. liftoff on STS-133, a mission primarily aimed at delivery a spacious storage module to the outpost.
The gantry move cleared the way for NASA engineers to begin loading more than a half-million gallons of supercold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the shuttle's 15-story external tank.
Cracks in support braces in the ribbed mid-section of the tank created one of the most difficult technical challenges NASA has faced in the 30-year history of the shuttle program and the test, analyses and ultimate repairs on the tank prompted a four-month delay in the launch.
Senior mission managers will meet at 7 a.m. to decide whether to fuel the external tank and make a launch attempt on Thursday.
Live coverage here in The Flame Trench will pick up at 7:15 a.m. Click the NASA TV box on the right side of this page to launch our NASA TV viewer and refresh this page for periodic updates.
A three-hour external tan propellant-loading operation is scheduled to begin at 7:25 a.m.
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