Shuttle Managers Announce STS-107 Launch Time
Space Shuttle Program managers announced Wednesday morning that STS-107
is slated to lift off at 9:39 a.m. CST (1539 GMT) Thursday. Space Shuttle
Columbia and its seven-member crew will spend 16 days in space during a
mission devoted to research. 

Meanwhile, final launch preparations continue at Launch Pad 39A at
Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The crew arrived in Florida on Sunday. Workers
began placing late-stow items into Columbia on Tuesday. 

After reviewing an engineering analysis, managers decided that a crack
found in a metal ball associated with the Ball Strut Tie Rod Assembly in
Space Shuttle Discovery's 43-centimeter (17-inch) liquid oxygen line
would have no impact on Columbia’s mission.

Forecasts indicate that there is 95-percent chance of favorable weather
at launch time on Thursday, with the primary concern being a slight
chance of low clouds at Kennedy.

NASA TV’s launch coverage will begin at 6:30 a.m. CST (1230 GMT)
Thursday.

Most Recent Shuttle Status Report.

Check out STS-107 preflight animations and imagery in the Gallery.