"It Looks Good"

We're at T-Minus 43 hours, and conditions are "go." That's the latest news from Kennedy Space Center, where preparations continue for launch of the space shuttle Atlantis Friday evening.

"All our systems right now are in great shape -- we're tracking no constraints that are show stoppers," said NASA Test Director Steve Payne. "Teams are ready and everybody's eager to launch -- we're looking forward to a successful assembly mission."

Launch Weather Officer Kathy Winters of the 45th weather squadron reported there is a 30 percent chance of weather prohibiting launch. Although a typical pattern of afternoon thunderstorms prevail, NASA predicts upper level winds will push the clouds away by launch time.

The tanking forecast for Friday morning also looks good, with no violation of constraints.

The launch countdown for Atlantis officially began at 9 pm EDT Tuesday, at T-43 hours. Included in the countdown is nearly 28 hours of built-in hold time prior to a targeted 7:38 pm EDT launch on Friday.

The mission STS-117 astronauts arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Florida early Monday evening. Landing aboard their T-38 training jets, the astronauts flew in from Johnson Space Center in Houston to Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility.

"We just flew by the launch pad. It looks good," STS-117 Commander Rick Sturckow told Florida Today.

The days before launch will be busy ones for the astronauts and launch team as they make final preparations for Friday's flight to the International Space Station. Atlantis will deliver a new truss and solar array to the International Space Station, in preparation for the delivery of scientific laboratory modules planned for later this year.

FMI: www.nasa.gov/shuttle