SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

*Space Shuttle Discovery Ready for Space 23 October 2007 * With a crucial space station module tucked into its cargo bay and fuel flowing into its giant external tank, space shuttle Discovery is taking its final steps before launch later this morning from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Weather is the main concern leading up to launch. The forecast calls for a 40 percent chance of acceptable conditions at the 11:38 a.m. EDT launch time.

Space shuttle Discovery at Launch Pad 39A.Image Above: Workers retracted the Rotating Service Structure from around space shuttle Discovery in preparation for today's launch. Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett + View larger image http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/170419main_rssrollbacklrge.jpg

The shuttle and a crew of seven astronauts led by commander Pamela Melroy are to spend two weeks in orbit attaching the Italian-built Harmony module to the International Space Station and making other changes to the orbiting laboratory.

The work begins in earnest with liftoff. No technical issues are being reported.

Some 500,000 gallons of supercold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen now is flowing into the external fuel tank. The chemicals will be channeled into Discovery's three main engines during launch to help push Discovery into orbit.

*Mission Information* + STS-120 Mission Overview http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts120/index.html + Harmony Node 2 http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/behindscenes/harmony_payload.html

+ Space Shuttle Discovery http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/shuttleoperations/orbiters/discovery-info.html