Seven space shuttle astronauts arrived at NASA鈥檚 Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday in advance of their scheduled launch on Saturday.
鈥淓verything鈥檚 looking go,鈥� says Steve Lindsey, the space shuttle Discovery鈥檚 commander. 鈥淲eather permitting, which I鈥檓 confident in, we鈥檙e going to be airborne July 1.鈥�
A Saturday launch would occur at 1939 GMT (1539 EDT). An early weather forecast indicates a 40% chance of rain and a 30% chance of lightning on Saturday afternoon.
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鈥淚鈥檓 hoping the weather鈥檚 going to improve a little bit 聟 so we can get off on time,鈥� says astronaut Piers Sellers.
If Discovery does not lift off on Saturday, its launch window shifts about 25 minutes earlier each day. This will give it a bigger chance of avoiding the afternoon thundershowers that are common in Florida in July. Discovery鈥檚 window extends until 19 July.
Propellant and fresh fruit
As is traditional, Discovery鈥檚 crew arrived in Florida aboard the T-38 jets they flew from Johnson Space Center in Texas, US. The crew has been in quarantine since Saturday so they do not get sick before their mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
The current ISS crew members Pavel Vinogradov and Jeff Williams are preparing for the arrival of the shuttle, but also welcomed a Russian Progress cargo ship to the ISS on Monday.
It carried spare parts, propellant, water, oxygen, clothing and fresh fruit. They opened the hatch the same day. 鈥淲e could smell the air of Earth 聟 something we kind of miss up here,鈥� Williams told mission control in Houston.
In addition to delivering supplies, Discovery will also give the station an additional crew member, European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter.
The countdown clock is set to begin ticking down on Wednesday.
