spacetoday.net: Shuttle countdown begins

Shuttle countdown begins

Posted: Thu, Jul 9, 2009, 6:40 AM ET (1040 GMT)

The countdown for Saturday evening's launch of the space shuttle Endeavour started Wednesday evening as managers keep an eye on an unsettled weather forecast. Endeavour is scheduled to launch at 7:39 pm EDT (2339 GMT) Saturday on STS-127, and the countdown for that launch started at 10 pm EDT Wednesday (0200 GMT Thursday). The major concern leading up to the launch is the weather, with initial forecasts calling for only a 40 percent chance of acceptable weather for the launch. The mission was scheduled to launch last month but was scrubbed twice when leaks developed in a gaseous hydrogen vent line. The problem was repaired and no leaks were detected during a tanking test last week.