Meteorologists expect fine weather this afternoon for the launch of space shuttle Discovery. The forecast calls for a 90 percent chance of acceptable conditions at launch time, 4:50 p.m. EST. The shuttle stands on Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where the launch team is working methodically through the launch day checklists.
Fast fill of the external fuel tank began at 8:15 a.m. with the liquid oxygen and one minute later for the liquid hydrogen. The propellants are used by the shuttle’s three main engines during the launch into orbit. The fueling process is expected to be finished at about 10:25 a.m. From there, propellants will be trickled into the tank to replace the portion of the chemicals that evaporate during the countdown.