Post date: Jul 08, 2011 1:36:25 PM
Astronauts board space shuttle Atlantis on its final run to the International Space Station before NASA retires the U.S. shuttle program.
Launch was targeted for 11:26 a.m. EDT ( 1526 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center. Meteorologists, however, predicted just a 30 percent chance of suitable weather for the flight.
Dense cloud cover or possible rain and thunderstorms could prompt a delay.
Up to 1 million spectators lined beaches and causeways around the shuttle's central Florida launch pad. If liftoff is delayed, they may have to wait through the weekend for a glimpse of the final shuttle rocket vaulting into orbit.
An abridged crew of four -- Chris Ferguson, pilot Doug Hurley, flight engineer Rex Walheim and Sandy Magnus -- began strapping into reclined seats on Atlantis' top deck shortly after 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT)
Atlantis, which was set to be retired last year, is laden with food and other supplies critical to the International Space Station, a recently completed orbital research outpost 220 miles (354 km) above Earth.
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (JULY 8, 2011) (NASA - Four veteran astronauts scrambled aboard space shuttle Atlantis on Friday (July 8), hoping the weather would clear for liftoff on the final mission of the U.S. shuttle program.