NASA Managers: It's a 'Go' for Discovery Launch Thursday

The space shuttle Discovery, the world's most traveled orbiter, is scheduled to blast off on its final mission at 4:50 p.m. Thursday.

"Everything is on track and going beautifully with the countdown," said Mike Moses, mission management team chair. "We're really looking forward to a very action-packed, successful mission and everything is on track."

With a rosy weather forecast, NASA is proceeding with preparations for the launch that will send six astronauts to the International Space Station.

Discovery, which took its maiden voyage in 1984, has logged nearly 143 million miles, more than any other reusable spacecraft. It has flown 38 missions and docked with the ISS 12 times previously.

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