Weather scraps today's shuttle landing

[krispos42]

Source: USAToday

CAPE CANAVERAL — Space shuttle Atlantis skipped its landing opportunities Thursday because of showers and clouds at Kennedy Space Center.

The showers were within 34 miles, and there were clouds within 8,000 feet of the landing strip at Kennedy Space Center, both violations of flight rules, NASA said.

<snip>

Mission Control said opportunities at Kennedy, the primary landing site, look slightly more promising on Friday and Saturday. Opportunities to land at Kennedy on Friday are at 2:16 p.m. and 3:51 p.m. ET.


Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2007-06-20-shuttle-landing_N.htm

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The Shuttle has enough power and consumables until Sunday, but they want it down by Saturday. They may have to land it in California or New Mexico if the weather in Florida doesn't clear up.

[shain from kane]

1. Conquerors of the universe? Need perfect weather for our machines to work.

Well, it isn't perfect weather in outer space. They have some serious problems to solve. Can't even land a flying brick due to the weather.

[A HERETIC I AM]

2. Landing in Fl saves millions of dollars plus several days of prep/loading

onto the 747 that carries it. I could be wrong but i think years ago as a test they landed one at Kennedy Space Center at night, in the rain with a crosswind to see if they could do it. Raindrops hitting the protective tiles seriously damage them and require them to be replaced. An extremely expensive and time consuming process.

As a layman, i am not about to 2nd guess aerospace professionals.

[krispos42]

3. Ooo.. it made the front page. I feel special! :-)

More seriously, if they have to land in California or New Mexico they have to truck the damn thing back to Florida on the back of a 747. Not particularly a positive thing.

[soothsayer]

4. they often launch during mercury retrograde. that's what you get.

[Eugene]

5. (Friday) Florida weather delays Atlantis landing again

Source: Reuters

Florida weather delays Atlantis landing again
22 Jun 2007 17:04:22 GMT
Source: Reuters

-snip-

By Irene Klotz

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., June 22 (Reuters) - Poor weather forced
NASA to skip its first chance of the day to bring the U.S. space
shuttle Atlantis back home to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida
on Friday but other landing opportunities remained.

The shuttle, which has been in orbit two weeks on a construction
mission to the International Space Station, has one more chance
for a touchdown in Florida. But flight directors may opt for a
backup landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

NASA decided not to bring Atlantis in on the first opportunity
Friday because of thick cloud cover and rain in Florida.

The space agency will have to decide promptly whether Florida
remains an option or whether to go for Edwards as the next possible
landing slots overlap -- 3:54 p.m. EDT (1954 GMT) at Kennedy and
3:49 p.m. (1949 GMT) at Edwards. After those slots there are two
more chances to land at Edwards.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N22469710.htm