Countdown in Planned Hold; Briefing at 10 a.m. EDT

At 5 a.m. EDT, the countdown entered a planned hold at the T-11 hour mark, and will resume at 7:01 p.m. tonight.

This morning’s countdown status briefing is scheduled for 10 a.m. The briefing will be carried live on NASA TV and online at www.nasa.gov/ntv. Panelists are Jeff Spaulding, NASA test director, Joe Delai, STS-135 payload manager, and Kathy Winters, shuttle weather officer.

The updated STS-135 launch weather forecast remains the same as yesterday, with a 30 percent prediction for favorable weather.

The STS-135 astronauts had an early wakeup call as they continue to prepare for tomorrow’s scheduled 11:26 a.m. liftoff of space shuttle Atlantis on the final mission of the Space Shuttle Program.