Space Shuttle for Last Launch
NASA has cleared the space shuttle Atlantis for one final launch this week, but a dismal weather forecast is clouding plans for the upcoming Friday (July 8) liftoff.
NASA officials unanimously voted today (July 6) to clear Atlantis for launch, setting the stage for the last-ever mission of the space agency's 30-year space plane program, agency officials said via Twitter.
The latest weather outlook predicts a 70 percent chance of thunderstorms and rain showers too close to the seaside launch site where Atlantis sits poised for an 11:26 a.m. EDT (1526 GMT) blastoff on Friday.
The chief concern is actually at a nearby shuttle landing strip, which would be needed in the remote chance that Atlantis had to make an emergency landing shortly after launch. NASA launch rules require no stormy weather within 20 miles of the shuttle runway since foul weather can damage an orbiter's heat shield and make landing perilous.
Atlantis and a skeleton crew of four astronauts will fly a 12-day mission to the International Space Station to make one final delivery before the shuttle program shuts down for good this year. The cargo on Atlantis — spare parts, equipment and other supplies — is expected to help the space station continue flying despite the lack of regular big deliveries from visiting shuttles.
If NASA is unable to launch Atlantis Friday, the space agency does have two other chances (on Saturday and Sunday) before it would have to stand down to avoid a space traffic conflict with another rocket set to launch an Air Force navigation satellite on July 14 from the nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The latest forecast predicts a 60 percent chance of foul weather on Saturday, but conditions improve on Sunday, which is expected to pose only a 40 percent risk of bad weather, officials said.
The upcoming mission will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis and NASA's 135th shuttle mission since the orbiters began launching into orbit in April 1981. NASA is retiring the iconic shuttle program to make way for a new one aimed at sending astronauts on deep space exploration trips to asteroids and Mars.
Once Atlantis returns to Earth, the shuttle and its two sister ships Discovery and Endeavour will be retired as museum displays.
Search Amazon.com for space shuttle Atlantis
NASA has cleared the space shuttle Atlantis for one final launch this week, but a dismal weather forecast is clouding plans for the upcoming Friday (July 8) liftoff.
NASA officials unanimously voted today (July 6) to clear Atlantis for launch, setting the stage for the last-ever mission of the space agency's 30-year space plane program, agency officials said via Twitter.
The latest weather outlook predicts a 70 percent chance of thunderstorms and rain showers too close to the seaside launch site where Atlantis sits poised for an 11:26 a.m. EDT (1526 GMT) blastoff on Friday.
The chief concern is actually at a nearby shuttle landing strip, which would be needed in the remote chance that Atlantis had to make an emergency landing shortly after launch. NASA launch rules require no stormy weather within 20 miles of the shuttle runway since foul weather can damage an orbiter's heat shield and make landing perilous.
Atlantis and a skeleton crew of four astronauts will fly a 12-day mission to the International Space Station to make one final delivery before the shuttle program shuts down for good this year. The cargo on Atlantis — spare parts, equipment and other supplies — is expected to help the space station continue flying despite the lack of regular big deliveries from visiting shuttles.
If NASA is unable to launch Atlantis Friday, the space agency does have two other chances (on Saturday and Sunday) before it would have to stand down to avoid a space traffic conflict with another rocket set to launch an Air Force navigation satellite on July 14 from the nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The latest forecast predicts a 60 percent chance of foul weather on Saturday, but conditions improve on Sunday, which is expected to pose only a 40 percent risk of bad weather, officials said.
The upcoming mission will be the 33rd flight of Atlantis and NASA's 135th shuttle mission since the orbiters began launching into orbit in April 1981. NASA is retiring the iconic shuttle program to make way for a new one aimed at sending astronauts on deep space exploration trips to asteroids and Mars.
Once Atlantis returns to Earth, the shuttle and its two sister ships Discovery and Endeavour will be retired as museum displays.
Search Amazon.com for space shuttle Atlantis
