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\h        George Diller/NASA Launch Commentator:  From Vandenberg Air Force Base in California,

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\h        this is Atlas Launch Control at T-minus two hours, five minutes, 28 seconds and counting.

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\h        We're now just slightly more than two hours and 45 minutes away

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\h        from the actual launch of NASA's Landsat Data Continuity Mission.

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\h        Liftoff will be atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket

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\h        from Space Launch Complex-3 located on south Vandenberg.

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\h        (The) launch window today extends from 10:02 to 10:50 a.m. Pacific time, a duration of 48 minutes.

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\h        The Landsat Data Continuity Mission, or LDCM, is the latest in the

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\h        Landsat series which embraces new, advanced Earth-monitoring technology.

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\h        It will continue the Landsat Program's legacy of serving a crucial role in monitoring,

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\h        understanding and managing earth's resources from space, including our forest, water and agriculture.

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\h        The satellite has a design life of not less than five years and enough

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\h        fuel to sustain it on orbit for 10 years.

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\h        The Landsat Data Continuity Mission is a partnership between

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\h        NASA and the U.S. Department of the Interior's U.S. Geological Survey.

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\h        After three months of checkout by NASA, the observatory will be turned

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\h        over to USGS for operation and will assume the new designation of Landsat 8.

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\h        We've just completed a weather briefing to the launch team and our forecast continues to be very favorable.

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\h        Right now there is still a zero percent chance of not meeting our launch weather criteria today.

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\h        The temperature launch time is forecast to be near 43 degrees with a

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\h        relative humidity at 89 percent and wind at approximately at 5 knots.

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\h        No significant clouds or weather. Fog is remaining offshore and there is nothing on the radar.

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\h        So at this time we're into our preparations for beginning our fueling

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\h        activity for loading the propellants onboard the Atlas and Centaur stages.