With only two days left before the STS 114 Space Shuttle’s Discovery’s return to space, excitement continues to build at NASA as the shuttle’s astronauts and all the crew involved go through final preparations for launch. The countdown has begun.
After dodging a potential bullet from hurricane Dennis, the shuttle weather officer, Kathy Winters, said there’s only a 30% chance weather could delay the mission. If that were to happen, alternative times have been set for both Friday and Saturday for possible launches.
At the Countdown Status Briefing today, NASA Test Director Pete Nickolenko and STS-114 payload manager Scott Higginbotham said that everyone is ready to return the Space Shuttle to flight, to return to the International Space Station, and to return the crew back safely.
The liftoff is scheduled for 3:51 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, July 13th. The crew arrived at Kennedy Space Center on Saturday bright and early and countdown started on Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. EDT. With any luck, the weather will hold and things will continue on schedule.
“After a vigorous, healthy discussion our team has come to a decision: we’re ready to go,” NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said last week. “The past two and half years have resulted in significant improvements that have greatly reduced the risk of flying the Shuttle. But we should never lose sight of the fact that space flight is risky”
Discovery has faced a number of obstacles in its attempt to return to space after the tragic incineration of the Columbia as it descended back to earth. After a myriad of tests and rescheduling of the launch back in the spring, NASA plans to get the shuttle off the ground next week. They have window available until the end of the month. If it doesn’t happen then, it will be September before they could launch it again. 
“The Discovery mission, designated STS-114, is a test flight,” Griffin said, noting that astronauts will try out a host of new Space Shuttle safety enhancements. In addition, Discovery will carry 15 tons of supplies and replacement hardware to the International Space Station.
This test begins in just 2 short days. A briefing is slate to be held later this afternoon. As the countdown continues, the rest of the world will wait and watch.
John Stith is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.
