[advertising guy]

these minute holds are checks ?

[RightWhale]

2008 GMT (4:08 p.m. EDT)

T-minus 9 minutes and holding. Countdown clocks have gone into the planned 45-minute built-in hold. Today’s launch remains set for 5:02 p.m. EDT.

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They took the checks out of the countdown to make coordination smoother. Now they have programmed holds and all the many clocks stay in synch.