Low level cloud cover over NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has stopped the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery at T-5min, 21:30h (02:33h GMT) local time tonight.
The launch window, which opens at 21:35h 48s closes after 10min. If Discovery is to launch a final decision to go will have to be taken by 21:40h.
Today would be the best day at this point as Friday is predicted to have a 90% chance of weather prohibiting launch and Saturday is currently at 70% against.
Discovery's mission STS-116 is the 117th Shuttle mission, the 20th US mission to the International Space Station (ISS) and the Orbiter's 33rd flight.
During the mission's three extra-vehicular activities astronauts will install the P5 port truss segment, retract the P6 port solar array's wing and radiators and move power cables to enable the ISS to draw power from then arrays installed in September by Space Shuttle Atlantis' crew on STS-115.
The STS-116 crew are NASA astronauts William Oefelein, pilot; Mark Polansky, commander; Joan Higginbotham, Robert Curbeam, British born Nicholas Patrick, Sunita Williams and the European Space Agency's Christer Fuglesang, all mission specialists. Curbeam, Fuglesang and Williams will conduct the space walks. Williams will not return with Discovery and instead join the ISS's current Expedition 14 and serve as a flight engineer aboard the station.
The launch of Discovery/STS-116 will potentially be the last from pad 39B as it is to be used for the development of NASA’s proposed Ares I crew launch vehicle. However because of NASA’s ongoing policy of launching a rescue shuttle if an Orbiter discovered it was damaged after its ascent 39B is the candidate pad for such a mission.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
