Live at KSC: Discovery on track for launch

The forecast remains excellent for Wednesday's planned 9:20 p.m. launch of space shuttle Discovery, and NASA is not working any serious technical issues, officials said in a briefing this morning at Kennedy Space Center.

"At this point, we have no real concerns," said Steve Payne, NASA test director. "Our systems are in good shape. The countdown is proceeding on schedule like it should be, and we are ready for the exciting mission that lies ahead of us on Wednesday night.

There is only a 10 percent chance of local weather that would spoil a liftoff, said Air Force meteorologist Kathy Winters. The forecast also looks good at U.S. and international sites where the shuttle could attempt landings during an aborted launch.

Engineers were troubleshooting what Payne called a minor issue involving an electrical connection during tests of valves prior to loading of the shuttle's external tank.

The issue is not related to the hydrogen gas flow control valves that delayed Discovery's launch for a month, and Payne said they it would not interfere with Wednesday's scheduled launch.

"We have a contingency plan even if we, for some reason, couldn't get it fixed," he said. "It's something that that we use post-launch and we have a work-around for it."

Discovery is to set sail on a 14-day mission to the International Space Station.

A crew of seven astronauts led by mission commander Lee Archambault will attempt to install the last piece of a the station's 11-segment central truss.

The $298-million, 45-foot-long girder includes a final pair of American solar array wings, which will span 240 feet from end to end once they are deployed.

If the mission stays on schedule, the shuttle would return to KSC at 3:27 p.m. March 25.

Today, Archambault and pilot Tony Antonelli were expected to continue practicing landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft, and Payne said the crew was "in very good spirits and really eager to get flying."

Shuttle processing milestones today include:

- Preparations for the loading of super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the shuttle's 15-story external tank. Loading is scheduled to start at 11:55 a.m. Wednesday.
- Crew equipment stowage.
- A built-in hold at 3 p.m. at the T minus 11-hour mark.
- Checks of the ground communications network and orbiter communications system.

The Rotating Service Structure wrapped around Discovery at Launch Pad 39A is scheduled to be retracted at 1 a.m.

Click here to see the Air Force's official launch forecast released today.

And if you're planning to head out on the water or into the air between now and launch, take a look at this Air Force launch hazard area and advisory.

Here's a fact sheet with more information on the STS-119 mission.

IMAGE NOTE: Click to enlarge the image of space shuttle Discovery, atop the mobile launcher platform, after it reached the top of Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Jan. 14. At left is the White Room, attached to the end of the orbiter access arm. Behind the shuttle can be seen the Atlantic Ocean. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder