CIW NAI collaborator Jake Maule made the following announcement: "Tomorrow, 7 December, will be the launch of
Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-116), scheduled for 9:35:47 p.m. EST. (See addendum at end of article) It will be the first night launch since Nov 23, 2002.

Onboard and ready to go is the Lab-On-a-Chip Application Development Portable Test System (LOCAD-PTS) - an instrument that CIW NAI developed at Carnegie over the past 4 years in collaboration with NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and Charles River Labs. LOCAD-PTS will be delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) to enable crew to monitor microorganisms and potentially hazardous chemicals within the cabin environment. It will be the first demonstration of complete biochemical analysis - from sampling to data retrieval - by an astronaut in space.

This will also be one of the best chances to see a Shuttle's ascent from the DC area (weather and pollution permitting):

- Closest approach T + 7.5 minutes
- Maximum Elevation 6.8 degrees
- Direction 127.9 degrees (SE)."

Jake hopes that everyone will get to see it. Meanwhile, he will be watching with calm anticipation (perhaps) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center with Andrew Steele (aka Steelie) and Marc Fries.

Addendum:
NASA RESCHEDULES SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH FOR SATURDAY

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA managers postponed Thursday's space
shuttle launch until Saturday because of low cloud cover. Friday's
weather is not expected to be favorable for a launch attempt but
mission managers believe conditions will improve by the weekend.

Launch of Discovery is now scheduled for 8:47 p.m. EST Dec. 9.

Tomorrow's weather is not expected to be favorable for a launch
attempt but mission managers believe conditions will improve by the
weekend.

During STS-116, the astronauts will deliver and install a girder-like
structure, known as the P5 truss, aboard the station. The 4,000-pound
component will make possible future installation of solar arrays. The
crew will also reconfigure the station's electrical and cooling
systems from temporary to permanent mode.

Discovery's crew is Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Bill Oefelein and
mission specialists Bob Curbeam, Joan Higginbotham, Nicholas Patrick,
Sunita Williams and Christer Fuglesang, a European Space Agency
astronaut.

For the latest information about the STS-116 mission and its crew,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle