530p 11/14 Update: Crew on board; weather appears favorable

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CBS NEWS Coverage of STS-126

CBS NEWS STS-126 STATUS REPORT: 12
Posted: 5:30 PM, 11/14/08

By William Harwood
CBS News Space Analyst

Changes and additions:

   SR-09 (11/13/08): STS-126 mission preview
   SR-10 (11/14/08): Shuttle fueling begins; updated launch time
   SR-11 (11/14/08): Shuttle fueling complete
   SR-12 (11/14/08): Crew on board; weather appears favorable

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5:30 PM, 11/14/08, Update: Shuttle crew on board; weather appears favorable

The shuttle Endeavour's crew strapped in for launch today as a smooth-running  countdown moved into its final stages. Technicians are assisting the astronauts with final seat and suit checks before closing the hatch, securing the "white room" and leaving the area. The shuttle is fully fueled, there are no technical problems of any significance and forecasters say the weather appears to be cooperating. The closest showers of any significance are more than 100 miles away and while it appears a bit windy at the press site, forecasters do not expect any flight rule violations. Launch remains targeted for 7:55:39 p.m., roughly the moment Earth's rotation carries pad 39A into the plane of the international space station's orbit.

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Quick-Launch Web Links:

CBS News STS-126 Status Reports:
http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/current.html

CBS News STS-126 Quick-Look Page:
http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/currentglance.html

NASA ISS Expeditions Page:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/index.html

NASA Shuttle Web: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/index.html
NASA Station Web: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/index.html
Spaceflight Now: http://spaceflightnow.com/index.html
GoogleSatTrack: http://www.lizard-tail.com/isana/tracking/

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