Will Carry Secret Payload For US Government

We've seen a lot of final flights over the past year. Take, for instance, the venerable F-14. How about the stalwart C-141? Well add this to your list: The last of the Atlas III rockets was scheduled to go up from Complex 36 early Thursday morning, carrying a secret military payload in a launch that will end a legacy.

The Atlas III is a variant of the same Lockheed-Martin rocket that carried aloft some of the world's most famous -- or certainly, most useful -- payloads from that same launch complex since 1961.

"It's going to be sad but celebratory," said Lockheed spokeswoman Julie Andrews. "There's a lot tied up in that real estate."

Thursday's last Atlas III is scheduled to carry a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office. If it works, Florida Today reports it'll be the 75th successful mission for the Atlas family.

But don't count your chickens just yet.

A weather system moving across Florida from north to south was predicted to give the Atlas III booster only a 20% chance of a successful launch.

FMI: www.lockheedmartin.com