CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA. — The weather outlook was favorable Sunday as NASA started a countdown for the launch of the shuttle Endeavour with school teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan.
Endeavour's liftoff for an 11-to-14-day assembly mission to the international space station is scheduled for Wednesday at 5:36 p.m.
Forecasters predict a 70 percent chance of favorable weather during Wednesday's 10-minute launch period.
If there is a delay, the outlook is unchanged for Thursday, but it improves slightly for Friday.
"Overall, this is a good weather pattern for this time of year," said Kathy Winters, the Air Force forecaster who serves as NASA's shuttle weather officer. Her forecast included a smaller chance that afternoon storms, a summer weather staple on Florida's Atlantic coast, could interfere.
Late last week, the space agency delayed Endeavour's liftoff by 24 hours after ground teams replaced a leaky air pressure valve in the shuttle's crew compartment. Severe weather caused other preparations to fall behind schedule.
NASA caught up on Sunday.
"All our systems are in very good shape. The countdown work is on schedule," NASA test director Steve Payne, who supervises countdown activities, told a news briefing. "It's very, very tight. So, we are good to go as far as the valve goes."
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Endeavour's liftoff for an 11-to-14-day assembly mission to the international space station is scheduled for Wednesday at 5:36 p.m.
Forecasters predict a 70 percent chance of favorable weather during Wednesday's 10-minute launch period.
If there is a delay, the outlook is unchanged for Thursday, but it improves slightly for Friday.
"Overall, this is a good weather pattern for this time of year," said Kathy Winters, the Air Force forecaster who serves as NASA's shuttle weather officer. Her forecast included a smaller chance that afternoon storms, a summer weather staple on Florida's Atlantic coast, could interfere.
Late last week, the space agency delayed Endeavour's liftoff by 24 hours after ground teams replaced a leaky air pressure valve in the shuttle's crew compartment. Severe weather caused other preparations to fall behind schedule.
NASA caught up on Sunday.
"All our systems are in very good shape. The countdown work is on schedule," NASA test director Steve Payne, who supervises countdown activities, told a news briefing. "It's very, very tight. So, we are good to go as far as the valve goes."
Discuss Add this link to... Bury
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