NASA fuels space shuttle Discovery for launch early Tuesday, good weather forecast

NASA fuels space shuttle for early morning launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA is fueling space shuttle Discovery for an early morning flight to the international space station.

Discovery is scheduled to blast off at 1:36 a.m. Tuesday with a full load of supplies. Forecasters put the odds of good launch weather at 80 percent.

Discovery’s seven astronauts woke up at midafternoon Monday. An hour later, the launch team began fueling the space shuttle under sunny skies. NASA was worried storms might hold up the fueling.

Commander Rick Sturckow (STUR-koh) and his crew will deliver experiments and equipment to the space station, including a new treadmill named after TV comedian Stephen Colbert. Colbert originally wanted a space station room named after himself. The treadmill is in more than 100 pieces.