spacetoday.net: Shuttle countdown begins

Posted: Sat, Oct 20, 2007, 6:26 PM ET (2226 GMT)

The countdown clock started Saturday afternoon towards Tuesday's launch of the space shuttle Discovery, although weather could delay the launch. The countdown for the launch of STS-120 started at 2 pm EDT (1800 GMT) on Saturday, with the launch currently scheduled for 11:38 am EDT (1538 GMT) on Tuesday. Shuttle managers said current forecasts call for a 60 percent chance of acceptable weather, with clouds and showers the major concern. No technical issues have been reported with the shuttle. The 14-day mission to the station features the delivery of Harmony, a new docking node for the station, and the move of a solar panel segment to its permanent location on the station's port-side truss. The mission's seven-person crew, commanded by Pam Melroy, includes Expedition 16 crew member Dan Tani, who will remain on the station after Discovery undocks; current ISS crewmember Clay Anderson will return to Earth on STS-120.