NASA managers say they're pushing ahead with plans to launch the space shuttle Discovery
on Wednesday. The orbiter had initially been scheduled to blast-off on Monday,
but a leak caused engineers to delay the mission by two days, until Wednesday. The
flight is slated to be Discovery’s last, and the second to last scheduled flight for
the shuttle fleet before it's retired early next year. NASA's Mike Leinbach says
Wednesday's launch will be an emotional moment. “It’s hard to believe,” he said,
“after having Discovery and the rest of the fleet for thirty years flying so well
for America.” NASA officials would like an extra flight in mid-2011, but lawmakers
have yet to fund it. In addition, there are no firm plans for vehicles to replace
the shuttle fleet.