Discovery crew ready for Monday launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Oct. 29 (UPI) -- The crew for space shuttle Discovery's final mission has arrived at Florida's Kennedy Space Center as NASA prepares the countdown to Monday's planned launch.

The launch countdown will bring liftoff at 4:40 p.m. Monday, the middle of a 10-minute window to put Discovery on course to rendezvous with the International Space Station, Florida Today reported.

The crew of mission commander Steve Lindsey, pilot Eric Boe and mission specialists Michael Barratt, Alvin Drew, Tim Kopra and Nicole Stott will deliver at Italian-made cargo carrier to the ISS that will become a station storage unit.

"For our launch control team -- thanks in advance for getting us to orbit on Monday," Stott said.

As the crew greeted reporters covering their arrival, an F-15 fighter buzzed NASA's 3-mile runway.

"That was courtesy of the Air Force," Lindsey said.