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Cold weather is only worry for shuttle launch
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida (CNN) -- Cold weather is the only concern for the upcoming launch of the space shuttle Discovery, NASA mission managers said Tuesday. Discovery is scheduled to liftoff at 6:42 a.m. EST on Thursday from Kennedy Space Center on a mission to the international space station. "The only thing we're concerned about somewhat is the cold temperatures on Thursday," said Ed Priselac, shuttle weather officer.
Priselac said the temperature at launch time would be around 44 degrees. Cold weather could cause ice to form on the shuttle's external fuel tank. NASA is concerned the ice could break off and damage the orbiter during launch. Priselac said there is a 30 percent chance the cold temperatures could delay the launch. Payload ready to goAs of Tuesday afternoon, the shuttle's cargo had been loaded and the payload bay doors closed. "We're working right on the timeline with no issues," said Pete Nickolenko, NASA test director. NASA has only a few minutes to get Discovery off the ground on Thursday. Nickolenko said the nine-minute launch window runs from 6:37 a.m. to 6:48 a.m., with 6:42 a.m. the preferred launch time. Mission highlights:
Discovery will spend about eight days attached to the space station. The shuttle is scheduled to land at 2:02 a.m. on March 20 at Kennedy Space Center. RELATED STORIES:
Discovery countdown under way RELATED SITE:
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