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ALLARD BEUTEL: This is Shuttle Launch Control at T-minus 3 hours and holding.

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We are just five hours shy of the launch of space shuttle Discovery on its STS-124 mission

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to the International Space Station. Launch controllers are not working any problems right

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now that would prevent us lifting off at 5:02 p.m. Eastern.

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Thank you for joining us on this very sunny Saturday here at NASA's Kennedy Space

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Center along Florida's central east coast. I'm NASA Launch Commentator Allard Beutel,

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and you're watching live video right now of shuttle Discovery on its seaside launch pad,

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39A. During the next five hours, we'll take a look at the STS-124 mission, its seven-person

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crew and cargo, as well as follow along as launch controllers get ready to send Discovery

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into orbit.

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NASA started this week with a successful landing and start to a three-month mission for

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the Mars Phoenix Lander. And now we're looking to bookend that successful week with a

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successful launch and start to a two-week mission to the International Space Station, where

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Discovery's seven astronauts will add the newest and largest laboratory to the orbiting

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outpost, and it's called the Japanese Pressurized Module. This week really exemplifies

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NASA's one-two punch strategy for space exploration: a combination of robotic and remote

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scientific study and analysis and then direct human forays into space.

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And before we recap this morning's launch preparations, there's one more thing I'd like to

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point out: If you're saying to yourself that space shuttle Discovery looks a little better than

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you remember it, you're probably not that far off. For the very first time, NASA Television

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is broadcasting the launch of a space shuttle in High Definition Television. So the space age

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and digital age do meet here for NASA on the STS-124 mission.