Good morning everyone and hello again from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida where we have set the stage anew for a liftoff of the Orion spacecraft on its first flight test!
Our launch window opens at 7:05 a.m. EST and that is the time the launch team is aiming for today. The liftoff can take place anytime up to 9:44 a.m. if the launch team needs the time to wait for acceptable weather or take care of any technical issues.
The weather conditions deteriorated somewhat since yesterday and forecasters have trained their sights on a rain system coming up from the south. The official forecast calls for a 40 percent chance of acceptable conditions today.
Controllers also continue to monitor the fill-and-drain valves on the Delta IV Heavy following problems that developed late in the countdown Thursday. The team evaluated the valve conditions throughout the past 24 hours and came up with alternate techniques for the devices that seal the fuel tanks in the moments before liftoff.
So there is a lot going on here but the excitement of the first flight test of a new spacecraft designed for humans remains very high. Orion, designed for missions beyond low Earth orbit carrying astronauts, is secure atop the Delta IV Heavy and all of its systems are in good shape this morning. Over in the Pacific Ocean, just off the Baja California coast, the recovery forces are standing by to pull Orion from the ocean at the end of its 4.5-hour flight test.
Nasa TV is not good for watching because it is continuously interrupted