SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C#31468

*STS-115 Crew Seated Inside Atlantis*

/ Sept. 8, 8:23 a.m. EDT (1223 UTC)/ The STS-115 crew members are now taking their seats inside Atlantis as the space shuttle awaits liftoff atop Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The four of the six astronauts are set to sit in the cockpit, while the two remaining crew members are going to be seated below in the mid-deck. Once in place, the crew will begin powering up Atlantis' systems and getting the ship configured for launch.

The launch team has reported that an ECO sensor on the hydrogen side of the external tank has failed. At this time the team is pressing forward with launch preparations. Mission Management Team members are meeting to determine if they will consider launching with three working sensors or if it will be necessary to de-tank and come back tomorrow. + See ECO Sensor PowerPoint Slide http://www.nasa.gov/ppt/156987main_ET%20Project_SSP%20FRR_June272005_B-3.ppt

Launch weather remains at 70 percent "go" for launch, with the primary concern for rain within 20 miles of the Shuttle Landing Facility. No other issues are being addressed by the launch team at this time.

Follow along with the countdown: + NASA's Launch Blog http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/sts-115/launch-vlcc.html + NASA TV http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html