This
story was updated at 2:00 a.m. EDT.
CAPE
CANAVERAL, Fla. - Lightning and thunderstorms thwarted NASA's attempt to launch
the space shuttle Discovery early Tuesday, forcing its seven-astronaut crew to
wait at least one more day before leaving the planet.
Discovery
was slated to blast off from a seaside launch pad here at NASA's Kennedy Space
Center at 1:36 a.m. EDT (0536 GMT) Tuesday with forecasts predicting an 80
percent chance of good
launch weather. But that near pristine forecast crumbled away late Monday
as lightning, rain showers and thick clouds unexpectedly cropped up to prevent
the launch.
Lightning
struck near the launch pad several times, at times within 5 miles (8 km), while
Discovery's
seven astronauts were strapped into their seats hoping for liftoff. Camera
views showed rain pouring down on the launch pad during the countdown. The
weather did improve closer to launch time, but it was not enough to clear
Discovery for liftoff, mission managers said.
"The
vehicle and operations were cooperating, but unfortunately the local weather
did not," NASA launch director Pete Nickolenko told Discovery's crew. "We'll
have to scrub for today and just try again tomorrow."
"We copy,"
Discovery's commander Rick Sturckow radioed back. "As soon as the weather will
be ready to cooperate, we'll be ready to go."
Discovery
is now slated to launch no earlier than Wednesday at 1:10 a.m. EDT (0510 GMT).
The chief
weather concerns for Discovery's launch attempt Tuesday were rain and thick
clouds near the launch pad, as well as lightning and thunderstorms too close to
a nearby runway that is reserved in case the shuttle suffers an emergency
during liftoff, said Lt. Col. Patrick Barrett of the Air Force's 45th Weather
Squadron.
Barrett
told SPACE.com that there is a 70 percent chance of good weather for Discovery's
next launch opportunity on Wednesday.
Weather
woes
Stormy
weather, and lightning in particular, has been a thorn in NASA's side for
shuttle launches of late. The July launch of shuttle Endeavour was delayed
five times due to lightning and foul weather. Lightning also slowed
Discovery's trek to the launch pad earlier this month.
NASA has
until Aug. 30 to launch the shuttle before standing down due to restrictions on
the launch range it shares with the nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
NASA wants to launch Discovery by the end of August to avoid a traffic conflict
with an unmanned Japanese cargo ship also due at the space station this month.
If the mission is unable to launch by then, NASA can try again on Oct. 17.
Discovery's
mission is slated to fly to the International Space Station to deliver
nearly 8 tons of cargo, including new science gear and a treadmill named after comedian
Stephen Colbert. The 13-day mission will also ferry astronaut
Nicole Stott to the station to replace NASA astronaut Tim Kopra, who has lived
aboard the orbiting lab since mid-July.
Set to
launch aboard Discovery with Sturckow and Stott are STS-128 mission
specialists Patrick Forrester, Jose Hernandez, Danny Olivas and Swedish
astronaut Christer Fuglesang. Fuglesang represents the European Space Agency,
while the rest are NASA astronauts. Three spacewalks were planned for their
mission.
Stott is
set to begin a three-month mission to the space station as a flight engineer on
the outpost's six-person Expedition 20 crew. She will join two Russians,
another American and astronauts from Belgium and Canada on what is the
station's first full-sized crew.
If
Discovery is unable to launch Wednesday, the next opportunity is Thursday at
12:52 a.m. EDT (0452 GMT).
SPACE.com
is providing complete coverage of Discovery's STS-128 mission to the International
Space Station with Managing Editor Tariq Malik in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Click here for shuttle mission
updates and a link to NASA TV.
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