Shuttle fueled, Colbert gives launch a 'go'
August 24, 2009 By MARCIA DUNN , AP Aerospace Writer
A furnace burns off extra fuel near the space shuttle Discovery early Monday Aug. 24, 2009 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Seven astronauts are scheduled to liftoff early tomorrow morning for a trip to the international space station. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
(AP) -- Space shuttle Discovery is fueled and ready for an early morning flight to the international space station.
Discovery is scheduled to blast off at 1:36 a.m. Tuesday with a full load of supplies. Forecasters put the odds of good launch weather at 80 percent.
The seven astronauts will deliver equipment and experiments, including a half-dozen mice for a bone loss study and a new $5 million treadmill named after TV comedian Stephen Colbert.
Colbert wasn't going to be at the launch but said in a recorded message that he couldn't be prouder that a treadmill will soon be installed at the space station "to help finally slim down all those chubby astronauts."
He added: "I am 'go' to launch me. Let's light this candle!"
©2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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