George Diller/STS-129 Launch Commentator: From Launch Complex 39 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida,
this is Shuttle Launch Control at T-3 hours and holding.
We are now in the final five hours of the countdown for the launch of space shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-129.
The countdown is being controlled from Firing Room 4 at the Launch Control Center,
and we are on schedule for a liftoff targeted for 2:28 p.m. Eastern time.
This is the 129th launch of the Space Shuttle Program,
the 31st launch of space shuttle Atlantis, and the 31st visit to the International Space Station.
This is an 11-day mission that includes three 6 1/2 hour EVAs, or spacewalks.
Landing is currently planned for the day after Thanksgiving, on Nov. 27, at 9:43 a.m.
There are six astronauts who will shortly be aboard Atlantis en route to a rendezvous with the International Space Station.
The astronauts are Commander Charlie Hobaugh, Pilot Butch Wilmore,
and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Randy Bresnik, Mike Foreman and Bobby Satcher.
Activities under way during the past hour have been the inertial measurement preflight calibrations, the alignment of the
MILA tracking station antenna and the Ponce DeLeon Inlet tracking station antennas with the launch pad,
activating the orbiter's navigation aids and the initial communications checks with the Air Force Eastern Range.
Meanwhile, the Final Inspection Team has been measuring the temperatures on the surface of the vehicle,
looking for any ice buildup and performing a final check for any FOD,
or foreign object debris, that could strike the orbiter upon ignition.
The seven-member team will have walked up and down the entire 380-foot tower of the
fixed service structure at the conclusion of their inspections.
Fueling of space shuttle Atlantis began at 5:03 this morning and concluded at exactly 8:00 a.m. Eastern time without any issues.
And the countdown continues not to work any problems, and has been going very smoothly.
We have approximately 59 minutes and 30 seconds remaining in this hold at T-3 hours.
And our weather forecast is not quite as favorable as what we had yesterday.
We're looking at a 30 percent chance of not meeting the launch weather criteria by the time we get to liftoff time at 2:28 p.m.,
primarily due to an increased chance for a low cloud deck. And,
we'll hear more about that in about a half hour with one of the launch weather officers who will be here to talk more
about our launch weather and our forecast for overseas at the overseas contingency landing sites.
At T-3 hours and holding, this is Shuttle Launch Control.