New launch chance added; storm sputters

NASA and its 15 international partners are extending Atlantis' Sept. 7 launch deadline by a day, a move that provides three opportunities to get a space station construction mission under way.

James Hartsfield, a spokesman for NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, said the decision makes Sept. 6, Sept. 7 and Sept. 8 available for launch attempts. After that, NASA would have to stand down the Atlantis launch until after a previously planned crew rotation at the International Space Station.

Ernesto, meanwhile, still is expected to pass over Kennedy Space Center this evening, but the storm has weakened into a tropical depression and winds at the spaceport probably won't be as strong as previously anticipated.

KSC spokesman George Diller said Ernesto still is projected to pass near or over the space center around 9 p.m. tonight. Peak sustained winds now are forecast at around 40 mph. Rainfall now is expected to be around two to three inches, although certain areas might get up to six inches of precipitation.

Meteorologists now think the storm will pass out over the Atlantic Ocean between midnight and 2 a.m. NASA hopes to return to normal operations and restart preparations for the planned Sept. 6 launch of Atlantis on first shift.

A decision might be made between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. KSC workers should call 321-861-7900 or 1-866-572-4877 for return-to-work status. Updates also will be scrolled on NASA TV.

The situation is much the same at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, where two Boeing Delta rockets are being readied for flight at Launch Complex 17.

Like KSC, the base remains closed to all but essential personnel with plans to reopen Thursday. Workers at the Cape and Patrick Air Force Base should call the base information line for updates: 321-494-4636.