NASA has scrubbed the planned 7:13 p.m. launch of space shuttle Endeavour because of approaching thunderstorms. The launch has been reset for 6:51 p.m. Monday, when the forecast is 60 percent "go."
"We got the vehicle ready, and the weather unfortunately did not cooperate with us today," launch director Pete Nickolenko radioed to Endeavour commander Mark Polansky. "We had some colliding sea breezes.""We understand and we'll be ready," Polansky replied.
The closeout crew will return to launch pad 39A to help the seven astronauts out of their seats so they can return to crew quarters.
The astronauts should begin exiting the shuttle by about 8:15 p.m.
More than an hour before launch time, managers became concerned about storms moving within 20 miles of Kennedy Space Center's landing strip.
But by the final readiness poll of launch managers just after 7 p.m., the storms were within 10 miles of the launch pad and moving closer, with no hope they would clear in time for a 10-minute launch window.
With the launch "red" for two weather criteria, managers called it a day.
This is the mission's fourth launch delay.
Tuesday could be the last launch opportunity for Endeavour until late this month.
A Russian Progress cargo spacecraft is scheduled to launch to the space station later this month, and NASA doesn't want the shuttle there at the same time.
Negotions are expected to begin to see if the Progress mission could be delayed enough to give NASA a launch attempt Wednesday.
Otherwise, the shuttle would stand down until July 27.
4 comments:
The way the weather is happening there in central Florida, we'll be lucky if they can even launch this MONTH!
"Launch scrubbed for today. Weather is the reason."
No, weather was not the reason. A poorly designed vehicle with every constrainst known to mankind (and some we haven't though of) is the reason. Both yesterday and today, Atlas would have launched; Delta would have launched; Progress would have launched; the Japanese and Chinese rockets would have launched; but our hundred-billion dollar white elephant sits on the pad.
Maybe tomorrow. Or maybe the day after. And maybe we can ask the Russians to move the next Progress and then we can reschedule to the 27th. And then we can ask the President for some relief from Sept 30, 2010.
Can we get Leroy Cain back? This Moses fellow reminds me too much of Wayne Hale.
We have proof that if you design something poorly enough you will have so many constrainst that you can never use it.
Sorry to seem so belligerent - but if NASA were in charge of the army we'd still be finding reasons not to land in Normandy.
Attention City of Titusville:
Are you aware of the taxes lost for these out of nowhere immediate parking spaces CHARGING up to $10.00 per car. This is not Walt Disney World ... at least there you see progress but nothing here. No permits, no licenses, not even a receipt. Please take attention to your town
If you were standing at the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday night, you know that NASA made the right call. A ravaging storm and lightning-producing clouds were all around the launch complex and could have endangered the vehicle.
You're actually wrong. Neither Atlas, nor Delta could have launched in the weather we saw last night. Progress would have launched, maybe, because the Russians don't seem to observe any weather constraints. One day, one of their launches is going to offer us all a how-to for creating rocket-triggered lightning. Big fireworks show.
Did Moses make a bad call? Would you have launched Saturday without checking out the hardware for lightning damage? Would you have launched Sunday in the midst of a huge, approaching lightning storm? Curious what others think? I'm pretty sure Atlas, Delta, Falcon, or any other launch vehicle would have not flown last night under those weather conditions.
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