NASA begins countdown for launch of Endeavour to space station; launch set for Monday

<br>CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) _ NASA began the countdown Friday for the launch of space shuttle Endeavour on a mission to deliver a fresh crew and another building block for the international space station.

Friday, November 8th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) _ NASA began the countdown Friday for the launch of space shuttle Endeavour on a mission to deliver a fresh crew and another building block for the international space station.

Endeavour is scheduled to lift off early Monday morning. Three of its seven astronauts will remain aboard the space station for at least four months, replacing the crew that has been living up there since June.

``I'm really looking forward to moving into my new home,'' Donald Pettit said after arriving at Kennedy Space Center late Thursday.

``I've already paid the first month's rent and the last month's rent,'' he joked.

Besides the exchange of space station crews, the 11-day shuttle mission will feature the addition of another $390 million girder to the orbiting outpost. The shuttle astronauts will conduct three spacewalks to hook it up.

An almost identical girder was installed during the last shuttle flight, just last month.

Endeavour also will carry up two spare valves for the primary U.S. carbon-dioxide removal system aboard the space station. The unit has been malfunctioning the past few days, so NASA rushed the valves to Cape Canaveral for last-minute loading aboard the shuttle.

Shuttle test director Steve Altemus said the launch team is enjoying the quick pace of launches.

``This has been an exciting time for our team to put a couple of launches up back to back with essentially 30 days or so separation,'' Altemus said.

Good launch weather is forecast for Monday, with just a 20 percent chance of rain.

In keeping with its post-Sept. 11 security measures, NASA did not announce the start of the countdown or the arrival of the astronauts until hours afterward. The space agency also will not reveal Endeavour's launch time until Saturday night, for now saying only that it will occur sometime between 12:01 a.m. and 4 a.m. Monday.