NASA Resumes Countdown For Space Shuttle Discovery Launch

By: Bill Waters
Staff Writer
Published: Mar 15, 2009

NASA gave the go-ahead early this morning to resume the countdown for the space shuttle Discovery. The space agency has scheduled the liftoff for tonight.

NASA resumed the countdown for space shuttle Discovery after making repairs to a hydrogen gas leak. The space agency is unsure what caused the leak which delayed the launch on Saturday. Discovery is planned for a lift-off tonight at 7:43:46 p.m.

"The main concern is for a slight chance of a low cloud ceiling at Kennedy Space Center," a NASA spokesperson said.

As of right now, the weather shouldn't be a major factor for tonight's lift off as crew members reported "weather remains 80 percent go." Sunday night will be one of NASA's final nighttime launches for the space shuttle program. The space agency will retire the program later this year.

NASA makes new repairs to the space shuttle Discovery as a safety measure.

Space shuttle Discovery has faced several delays over the past month relating to hydrogen gas valves. As a precautionary step, NASA ordered extra tests and new valve replacements by shuttle engineers. One of the valves broke on the shuttle during its previous launch in November.

However, if the launch is again scrubbed for Sunday, the space agency has until Tuesday before waiting for a Soyuz rocket to make deliveries to the International Space Station. The Russian rocket is scheduled to blast off on March 26. Otherwise, space shuttle Discovery will be delayed until April.

Discovery will have a crew of seven astronauts to deliver one final set of solar wings for the space station. The original mission was planned for 14 days including four spacewalks, but NASA has reduced it to 13 days and three spacewalks due to the launch delays.