07.07 - 10:30 a.m. EDT
At this morning's Countdown Status Briefing, NASA Test Director Steve Payne reported that after many months of hard work Atlantis is ready to launch. External tank inspections are in process and there are no issues being tracked.
Upon completion of all checks and inspections the access platforms will be retracted. The xenon lights will be lit, brightly illuminating the space shuttle, which can be seen from miles away.
"We're ready to fly tomorrow," said Payne.
Roy Worthy, external tank and solid rocket booster vehicle manager, described the multitude of repairs performed on the external tank and thanked the hundreds of workers who labored days on end to complete the task.
STS-117 Payload Manager, Robbie Ashley, reported that the payload was loaded into the orbiter's payload bay this week and everything is ready and secured for launch.
Kathy Winters, shuttle weather officer said there is now only a 20-percent chance that weather would affect the launch