Countdown to Launch Begins Today at Kennedy

Countdown preparations for space shuttle Endeavour's launch on Friday at 3:47 p.m. EDT are in process throughout NASA's Kennedy Space Center today.

Technicians at Launch Pad 39A will close Endeavour's payload bay doors today and workers at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) prepare for the STS-134 crew's arrival this afternoon.

Teams in the Launch Control Center's Firing 4 will officially begin the countdown at 2 p.m.

Endeavour's six astronauts are expected to arrive at the SLF at approximately 12:15 p.m. in T-38 training jets. The arrival will be shown live on NASA TV (www.nasa.gov/ntv).

This morning, a pre-countdown status briefing also will be held live on NASA TV at 10 a.m.