STS-124's Blog

Another launch is in the books, and as the sun gets low in the sky here at KSC, the large group of reporters and photographers is clearing out.

NASA is obviously pleased that they were able to launch Discovery on time and without problems, but I think they were also pleased that the many people who turned to watch the launch along the coast got a good show.

If you'd like to relive it, you can find the video here: http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/myfox/pages/ContentDeta
il?contentId=6667273

The 150-image MyFOX photo gallery is here: http://media.myfoxtampabay.com/galleries/STS-124/a>

Discovery is well on her way after a beautiful liftoff.  One low cloud obscured the view for a moment, but it was an otherwise picture perfect scene.  And those pictures will be coming soon; check back for a full gallery in a little while.

The weather remains good, if hot. SkyTower Radar shows some storms inland, and they may block the view of the Discovery launch for some people on the state's west coast.

As usual, there are a few VIPs on hand for launch -- and we're not talking about Buzz Lightyear and his spot on the shuttle.  Apple Computer co-founder and digital guru Steve Wozniak is here, as are a number of congressional representatives like Kathy Castor from Tampa.  Admiral Eric Olson, the commander of U.S. Special Operations, was expected to make the trip over from MacDill today too.  Even Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee came and got to speak with the astronauts before they suited up.

We're only a few minutes away from the scheduled 5:02 launch time. With luck, the next entry will tell of a safe and successful launch.

The countdown is proceeding smoothly here at the Cape.  Weather locally is good, with a stready breeze from the water keeping the clouds at bay.  There is a concern about weather at two of the three emergency landing sites in Europe, but NASA only requires one of the three to be 'in the green.'

Discovery's seven astronauts are all tucked into their seats and the hatch is finally sealed.  There was some delay there as a result of some extra helium in the cabin, but everything is clear now.

The folks from Google are here, and they brought along one of their toys.  It's the camera they use to shoot the 'street view' feature of Google Maps.  It's a pretty cool little camera -- several cameras actually -- on a pole, mounted on a car. 

Google Street View may be the only way that some people will get to see the East Coast of Florida today. We're hearing from some late arrivals that the roads around Titusville are packed with people hoping to see the launch -- in fact, it seems to be the biggest turnout since the Columbia accident.  Beautiful weather combined with a Saturday evening launch time seem to be the right mix for a big turnout.

The astronauts are all suited up and they are climbing into the shutlle now.  As they rode by a few minutes ago, mission specialist Michael Foale gave a wave to reporters as the famed Airstream trailer paused by the Vehicle Assembly Building.  The smile on his face said it all.

Elsewhere, some of Kennedy Space Center's other residents took little notice of the excitement around them.  We spotted a young manatee lazily floating in the turning basin, and the usual compliment of birds, fish, and other wildlife are out and about.

The weather is hot but breezy.  The cloudcover seems minimal here on the coast, but it appears thicker looking bacl towards Orlando.

It has blossomed into a hot day out here at the Cape.  Some relief from the sun would be nice, but of course clouds are not what we want on launch day. It's partially cloudy out here now, but forecasters expect the afternoon sea breeze to keep the larger clouds away this afternoon.  Weather at the emergency abort sites is also said to be good.

Otherwise, there are no major issues from a technical standpoint.  The press center is once again busy with a lot of Asian journalists, here because of the Japanese lab module that will launch with Discovery.

The shuttle is currently in a built-in countdown hold that should end soon, and the astronauts will start getting their launch gear on within 15 minutes or so.

It's a beautiful morning at the Cape.  Fueling of Discovery has begun, and there are no significant technical glitches to report.

If all continues to go well, we can expect to see the astronauts suiting up by 12:45 p.m.  They'll head to the pad a half-hour later.  The hatch should be closed by 3 p.m., two hours before launch.

Right now, the skies all across Florida are clear.  Hopefully, the launch will be visible from around the state.  If you are planning to head to the Cape to watch, the Florida Today newspaper has a great guide for the best places to watch from: http://www.floridatoday.com/assets/swf/A93374426.SWF

And if you're not going, remember you can watch the launch live here on MyFox.

It's been a busy few months for NASA, what with Mars landings and plumbing emergencies, and it's about to get even busier.  Space shuttle Discovery is slated to lift off tomorrow just after 5 p.m. on another space station construction mission.

Discovery will be carrying seven astronauts and part two of the Japanese 'Kibo' lab, which will become the largest workspace at the station once it's installed.

Also aboard will be some spare parts for the station's lone toilet, which is broken.  How did NASA -- the agency of double and triple redundancy -- overlook this one in the planning?

Engineers had to dump some "non-essential flight hardware" from the cargo manifest to make room for the emergency plumbing tools, but apparently Buzz Lightyear was not on that list.  The Disney doll will be heading to the station to be used in microgravity experiments.

Forecasters say there is an 80-percent chance of good weather.  With only a slight chance of storms across the state, the launch should be visible from throughout Florida.  So if you find yourself with nothing to do around 5, poke your head outside and see if you can see it.  If not, check back here -- as always, we'll have a live blog and photo gallery from the Cape.

Previous mission coverage:

• STS-123 launch blog
• STS-123 nighttime launch photo gallery
• FOX 13 memories at the Cape