Space shuttle return delayed by weather
Rain and overcast skies prevented space shuttle Discovery from returning to Earth today, and Mission Control instructed the astronauts to spend a 15th day circling the world to await better weather.
Mission Control radioed up the disappointing news to Discovery’s astronauts after scrapping two landing attempts.
“We appreciate everything you’ve done,” replied shuttle commander Alan Poindexter, “and we’ll be hopeful for better weather tomorrow.”
Clearer skies are expected over Kennedy Space Centre in Florida tomorrow. If the clouds linger, however, Nasa will instead plan to use the back-up landing site in southern California.
The first landing opportunity tomorrow is at 7.34am (11.34am Irish time), shortly after sunrise in Florida.
Discovery and its seven astronauts can remain in orbit until Wednesday. They had been on a resupply mission to the International Space Station.
If Discovery aims for Kennedy, it should provide a rare visual treat. The streaking, glowing trail will be visible from below, weather permitting, as the shuttle zooms down the Eastern Seaboard towards Cape Canaveral.
The last time a returning shuttle flew over a large portion of the US was in 2007, and no further re-entries like this are planned as the shuttle programme draws to a close.
Nasa has tried to keep continental flyovers to a minimum for public safety reasons, ever since space shuttle Columbia shattered over Texas in 2003.
Typically, a shuttle returns from the south west, zooming up over the South Pacific, Central America, and the Gulf of Mexico. Nasa changed Discovery’s flight path before lift-off on April 5, to maximise the crew’s work time in orbit and reduce fatigue.
The volcanic eruption in Iceland was not interfering with Nasa’s effort to bring Discovery home. The re-entry path does not go anywhere near the European airspace threatened by volcanic ash.
Discovery undocked from the space station on Saturday, leaving behind equipment so the orbiting outpost can operate for years to come. The astronauts’ biggest contribution was a new tank full of ammonia coolant, which took three spacewalks to hook up.
It was Discovery’s second last flight. Nasa has only three shuttle flights left before retiring the fleet.
Atlantis is next up in less than four weeks, while the final shuttle mission – by Discovery – is scheduled for September.
