Discovery Still on Track for Wednesday Afternoon Launch, SpaceRef

"Although NASA had to work a couple of issues last night, at this point there are no technical constraints that would preclude a launch tomorrow afternoon. The weather outlook is still favorable with only a 30% chance of weather violation.

The first issue came up last night was a faulty regulator on the launch pad nitrogen purge system which was repaired. Early this morning though during engine check-outs, the engine 3 backup engine controller did not come up as expected. The problem was narrowed down to a circuit breaker or switch. Transient contamination was narrowed down as the issue which sometimes happens according to Steve Payne, NASA test director. Recycling the breaker and switch solved the issue."

Marc 's Update: It seems that backup controller problem which NASA thought was fixed is still a problem. From the latest status update, "Engineers continue to analyze data that showed voltage irregularities and will meet this afternoon to review their data.". Managers are currently meeting to discuss the situation.

Marc 's 5:43 PM EDT Update: Launch has been scrubbed for a Wednesday launch. Electrical issues need to be addressed so launch is now set for Thursday at 3:29 PM EDT. However with a 70% chance of violating the constraints for launch due to weather, it would appear Friday is the more likely day for launch.