Live at KSC: "No-Go" Forecast Issued Here

It's a windy day at Kennedy Space Center as the crew of Endeavour prepares for a return to Earth at either the shuttle's Space Coast homeport or a back-up landing site in California's Mojave Desert.

Endeavour and its seven astronauts are scheduled to land at KSC at 1:19 p.m., but the weather forecast indicates that a landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California is much more likely.

The latest forecast from the Spaceflight Meteorology Group calls for sustaineed winds of 19 knots with gusts to 28 knots at KSC for the first of two landing opportunities here. A broken deck of clouds is expected to be over the landing strip and thunderstorms are forecast within 30 nautical miles.

The weather at Edwards is expected to be much more mild, with clear skies and winds of six knots with gusts up to 11 knots.

"Right now, KSC is no-go. Edwards is a go forecast," NASA astronaut Alan Poindexter told the crew fron the Mission Control Center in Houston.

"Just keep us in the loop," Endeavour commander Chris Ferguson said. "Thanks."

Endeavour would have a second opportunity to land at KSC at 2:54 p.m., and conditions are expected to improve somewhat.

A landing at Edwards would take place at 4:25 p.m. EST. The deorbit burn would be at 3:20 p.m. EST.

Entry Flight Director Bryan Lunney said Saturday he likely would opt to land somewhere today because conditions are not expected to improve at KSC on Monday.

The crew is continuing to step through its deorbit preparation work, and NASA Chief Astronaut Steve Lindsey is scheduled to take off in a T-38 aircraft to fly weather reconnaissance within the next hour.

There is a good chance that the crew will be instructed to forego a planned payload bay door closure at about 9:30 a.m.

Stay tuned.