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Space shuttle set for night blast off

NASA hoped the weather would cooperate yesterday for a planned blastoff of the space shuttle Discovery, two days after calling off a launch at the last minute due to low-lying clouds.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration officials have set a new launch time for the construction mission to the International Space Station (ISS) of 8:47pm yesterday.

Thursday's plan for a rare night launch was scrapped just minutes from ignition because a ceiling of low clouds posed a safety hazard.

"We gave it our best shot and didn't get clear and convincing evidence that the cloud ceiling had cleared for us," launch director Mike Leinbach told the crew of seven astronauts strapped into their seats. "We have to declare a scrub at this time."

NASA was to attempt another night launch yesterday, the first since a night launch of the space shuttle Endeavour in November 2002. Night launches were dropped by NASA after the February 2003 Columbia disaster.

Low clouds would interfere with cameras monitoring the shuttle ascent and pose a visibility risk if the shuttle commander was forced to make an emergency landing back at the Kennedy Space Center here.

The weather forecast for Friday was poor with just a 10 percent chance of favorable conditions so NASA decided to shoot for a Saturday launch, when conditions should be slightly better but still uncertain.

"Shuttle weather forecasters expect the cold front to still be over Florida for Saturday's launch, limiting chances for liftoff to 30 percent," NASA said on its Web site.

Countdown for the evening launch is set to begin at 3:52am.

Discovery's mission will be the third and final shuttle launch of the year.

There are 14 shuttle missions planned -- including this one -- through 2010 to finish building the ISS.

One of the astronauts aboard, Sunita Williams, will be staying behind on the space station.
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