NASA Preps Space Shuttle For Early Morning Launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - NASA is putting the finishing
touches on Discovery for an early morning flight to the
international space station.
The space shuttle is scheduled to blast off at 1:36 a.m. Tuesday
with a full load of supplies. Forecasters put the odds of good
launch weather at 80 percent. But there is a 40 percent chance
thunderstorms will hamper Monday afternoon's fueling.
NASA says it can delay the start of fueling by three hours and
still launch Tuesday morning. Any longer delay, and the launch
would slide to Wednesday.
The seven astronauts, meanwhile, are asleep until midafternoon.
They will deliver experiments and equipment, including a new
treadmill named after TV comedian Stephen Colbert. The treadmill
will fly up in more than 100 pieces.

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