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11:53 a.m.: Clouds Becoming Concern To NASA
The weather at Kennedy Space Center is raising concerns at Mission Control as the astronauts continue to prepare for launch at 2:45 p.m. Right now, mission controllers say ceiling visibility is not within the weather criteria for flight. More clouds are filling the skies over the launch pad, and winds are also beginning to pick up. -- WESH.com Web Staff

11:35 a.m.: Crew Begins Boarding Shuttle
Cmdr. Steve Frick has boarded space shuttle Atlantis. He's the first of the seven-member crew to climb aboard the orbiter. Frick, 43, was the pilot on STS-110 in 2002. He's from Gibsonia, Penn., and has logged more than 3,200 hours in 35 different aircraft. -- WESH.com Web Staff

11:12 a.m.: Crew Arrives At Launch Pad 39A
The crew has arrived at Launch Pad 39A. They exited NASA's Astrovan and spent some time checking out the massive shuttle orbiter before boarding an elevator to head to the White Room, where they'll enter the flight deck and get strapped in for flight. -- WESH.com Web Staff

10:55 a.m.: Astronauts Head For Launch Pad Video
The seven-member crew is on their way to the launch pad after boarding the Astrovan at the Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy Space Center. The crew was all smiles and waved to well-wishers before boarding the vehicle for their journey. This will be the 121st space shuttle flight and the 29th flight of Atlantis. -- WESH.com Web Staff

10:51 a.m.: Countdown Resumes Toward Launch
The countdown clock is ticking again after a hold at T-minus 3 hours. Mission Control says they're working no technical issues at this time as they await the crew to board the Astrovan and head for the launch pad. -- WESH.com Web Staff

10:42 a.m.: Crew Suits Up For Launch
The seven astronauts who will fly aboard space shuttle Atlantis have donned their spacesuits for a mid-afternoon launch on Thursday. They're expected to depart for the launch pad momentarily. Cmdr. Steve Frick will lead his crew from the flight quarters just before 11 a.m. The crew includes two mission specialists from the European Space Agency, Hans Schlegel and Leopold Eyharts, who will return to Earth aboard the shuttle from the International Space Station. -- WESH.com Web Staff

10:32 a.m.: Ice Team Inspects Shuttle
NASA's final inspection team has arrived at the launch pad to take a final look at Atlantis before the space shuttle launches on Thursday afternoon. The team will thoroughly inspect Atlantis for ice and debris that could interfere with a smooth trip to orbit. Shuttle weather officers continue to closely watch an approaching cold front that is expected to bring clouds and rain to Kennedy Space Center. Skies at the launch pad are partly cloudy now, and the chance of a go for launch are only at 30 percent. -- WESH.com Web Staff

9:45 a.m.: External Tank Fueling Completed
The fueling of Atlantis' large external fuel tank is completed. About 500,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen began filling the tank just after 5:30 a.m. NASA is spending time checking the fuel sensors inside the tank that prompted two launch scrubs in December. Those checks were successful on Thursday morning. -- WESH.com Web Staff

5:53 a.m.: Launch Preps Under Way Despite Weather Video
NASA is fueling shuttle Atlantis for liftoff this afternoon, even though bad weather threatens to delay the mission to add another science lab to the International Space Station. Forecasters said there's a 70 percent chance that rain, clouds and possibly even a severe thunderstorm would keep Atlantis on the pad for yet another day. The space shuttle already is two months late in delivering the European lab to the space station. Faulty fuel gauges grounded Atlantis in December. Engineers worked round the clock and through the holidays to fix the problem, which turned out to be a bad connector in the external fuel tank. Although confident of the repair, NASA officials are monitoring Atlantis' fuel gauges with more interest than usual. -- Associated Press

5:35 a.m.: Atlantis Readies For Flight Despite Forecast
The storm system responsible for those deadly tornadoes in the South on Tuesday night could keep space shuttle Atlantis on the ground this afternoon. The mission to take a $2 billion European science lab to the space station is already two months behind schedule because of fuel-gauge problems. NASA is confident those have been resolved and has reset the launch for 2:45 p.m. But with clouds, rain and even a fierce thunderstorm predicted, odds for an on-time liftoff are put at just 30 percent. Forecasters are expecting some improvement tomorrow, but the weather is not expected to get significantly better before early next week. A year ago, Atlantis was grounded for several months because of damage from freak hail storm. -- Associated Press

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