ISS Fan Club

NASA has begun counting down toward the planned predawn launch of the space shuttle Endeavour on Sunday.

Endeavour is poised to blast off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday morning at 4:39 a.m. EST (0939 GMT) to deliver a brand-new room and observation portal to the International Space Station. The clocks began ticking down toward launch time early this morning.

"We're right on schedule, where we're supposed to be," said NASA test director Jeff Spaulding during a Thursday status briefing.

There is a 70 percent chance of good weather for Endeavour's launch. The potential for high winds is the only concern, shuttle weather officials said.

Commanded by veteran spaceflyer George Zamka, Endeavour's six-astronaut crew plans to fly a 13-day mission to deliver the space station's new Tranquility module and a seven-window portal called the Cupola.

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