Shuttle Launch May Be Stalled by Bad Weather

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. —  NASA began counting down Sunday morning toward a Wednesday launch of the refurbished shuttle Discovery, which will be carrying a secret military satellite.

Countdown began at 5 a.m. PST for the eighth, and last, shuttle mission this year. Discovery is due to lift off between 3:59 a.m. and 6:07 a.m. PST Wednesday and return Dec. 9.

However, NASA spokesman Bruce Buckingham set the likelihood of a Wednesday launch at only 40% because of a forecast of bad weather. Dense low clouds and rain are possible, he said.

The five astronauts arrived Sunday at Kennedy Space Center.

The five military officers will deploy the satellite several hours after takeoff and spend a week conducting medical and technical experiments for the military.

The Defense Department is withholding details about the satellite, but experts believe it will spy on hot spots in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

This is the last time a civilian shuttle will be used to launch a critical national security payload, Pentagon officials said. After the Challenger shuttle disaster in 1986, the Pentagon began switching its major satellites to unmanned rockets, which it deemed to be more dependable and economical.