SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

LAUNCH COVERAGE NASA's Launch Blog - Mission STS-116

TIMES ARE EASTERN STANDARD TIME NASA's launch blog was activated on December 7, 2006 at 3:25 p.m. EST

*+ View All Launch Day Videos http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts116/launch/launch-allvideos.html*

9:16 p.m. - There are about 10 minutes left in the T-9 minute built-in hold, and we are currently "red" for thick clouds in our forecast.

9:02 p.m. - Weather update: The transatlantic abort landing site at Zaragoza, Spain is "go," but the ceiling at Kennedy Space Center is currently too low, putting weather here into the "no-go" category for now.

8:52 p.m. - Launch Director Mike Leinbach just announced that the team is planning to launch at the preferred time of 9:35:48 p.m. this evening.

8:41 p.m. - T-9 minutes and holding. No technical issues are being discussed, and only the weather has been an issue this evening. Our latest forecast shows the cloud ceiling should be high enough and the clouds thin enough to meet our launch criteria.

8:39 p.m. - The countdown clock is at T-10 minutes and counting, and we are just about a minute away from our last built-in hold at T-9 minutes. This hold will last about 45 minutes.

8:36 p.m. - With Discovery's crew safely strapped in and the vehicle poised for flight, the Closeout Crew is leaving the launch pad. Meanwhile, Discovery's onboard computer systems are being configured for the proper guidance parameters for tonight's launch time.