Space Shuttle Discovery and her seven crewmembers are ready for launch tonight at 03:35 CET (02:35 UT). NASA is keeping a keen eye on the weather over the Cape as a cold front moves through the area. For now the countdown to launch continues.
The seven astronauts, including ESA astronaut Christer Fuglesang, are undergoing final preparations, including a final pre-launch medical exam. The crew is scheduled to suit up at 23:15 CET (22:15 UT), after which they will depart the crew quarters for the drive to the launch pad.
NASA TV will start live coverage from 23:30 CET (22:30 UT).
The weather forecast has taken a turn for the worse as Nasa prepares to launch Discovery on the third space shuttle mission in six months. Discovery has been cleared for the first night launch of a space shuttle since the Columbia accident in 2003. But possible clouds and rain threaten a delay as Nasa races to finish work on the International Space Station (ISS) before the fleet is retired in 2010.