Friday, September 11, 2009
news-press.com, CAPE CANAVERAL — Bad weather has delayed space shuttle Discovery’s homecoming for at least a day.
NASA decided conditions were too poor to bring Discovery back to Florida on Thursday evening. Mission Control skipped both landing possibilities and ordered the seven astronauts to keep circling the world for a 14th day. Their next chance at returning will be Friday at 5:54 p.m.
The forecast for Florida on Friday is worse, and it only gets a little better Saturday. NASA says if necessary, it will consider the backup landing site in California on Friday.
There was a bit of excitement earlier Thursday when the astronauts steered clear of a mysterious piece of space junk. The debris apparently came from the shuttle or international space station.
NASA decided conditions were too poor to bring Discovery back to Florida on Thursday evening. Mission Control skipped both landing possibilities and ordered the seven astronauts to keep circling the world for a 14th day. Their next chance at returning will be Friday at 5:54 p.m.
The forecast for Florida on Friday is worse, and it only gets a little better Saturday. NASA says if necessary, it will consider the backup landing site in California on Friday.
There was a bit of excitement earlier Thursday when the astronauts steered clear of a mysterious piece of space junk. The debris apparently came from the shuttle or international space station.
6:19 p.m. update
NASA has waved off Discovery's first landing attempt scheduled for 7:05 p.m., according to our partners at Florida Today. The next and final landing opportunity today is at 8:40 p.m.
4:34 p.m. update
As space shuttle Discovery passes over Sarasota on its way to a 7:05 p.m. touchdown today at the Kennedy Space Center, Lee County residents might be able to hear a double sonic boom.
But thunderstorms and stiff winds on Florida’s east coast might keep the shuttle from landing after its 13-day mission.
NASA said it would consider the backup landing site in Southern California as early as Friday if Discovery could not return to its Florida home port on Thursday.
The shuttle has enough supplies to stay up until Sunday.
