Lightning Strikes Behind Shuttle Endeavour in Spectacular Photos

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The space shuttle Endeavour is seen on launch pad 39a as a storm passes by prior to the rollback of the Rotating Service Structure (RSS), Thursday, April 28, 2011, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
The space shuttle Endeavour is seen on launch pad 39a as a storm passes by prior to the rollback of the Rotating Service Structure (RSS), Thursday, April 28, 2011, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls)

A barrage of thunderstorms and lightning in Florida created a spectacular backdrop for the space shuttle Endeavour late Thursday in striking photos taken on the eve of the spacecraft's final launch.

The stunning snapshots show Endeavour atop the seaside Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., as bolts of lightning light up the cloud-filled sky above. For those brief instants, the lightning cast an eerie purple glow over the shuttle and launch pad. [Photo of Endeavour and lightning]

NASA photographer  Bill Ingalls snapped the photos, which the space agency posted online, during a series of storms that temporarily stalled efforts by shuttle technicians to prepare Endeavour for its planned launch on Friday, April 29, at 3:47 p.m. EDT (1947 GMT).

Lightning and the space shuttle Endeavour are seen at Launch Pad 39A as a storm passes by prior to the rollback of the Rotating Service Structure (RSS), Thursday, April 28, 2011, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls)

The storms delayed work for at least three hours, during which time Endeavour was protected from the harsh weather by its shroud-like Rotating Service Structure. Inspection crews will take a close look at the shuttle for any signs of damage from the storm. [Photos: Shuttle Endeavour's Last Mission]

"Preliminary data shows no damage," NASA officials said in a Twitter post.

Endeavour will launch on its 25th and final mission when it blasts off from the Kennedy Space Center Friday afternoon. The shuttle will fly a 14-day mission to deliver a $2 billion astrophysics experiment and several spare parts to the International Space Station. Four spacewalks are planned.

Endeavour's STS-134 mission is NASA's next-to-last orbiter flight before the space agency retires its 30-year-old space shuttle program for good. The launch is expected to draw a record crowd, with more than 700,000 spectators anticipated to watch Endeavour lift off on its final voyage. [Gallery: Building Space Shuttle Endeavour]

President Barack Obama, his wife Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha are expected to watch Endeavour's launch. Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who is the wife of Endeavour's commander Mark Kelly and is recovering from a gunshot wound to the head, is also attending the launch.

Once Endeavour completes its final mission, NASA will send the orbiter to the California Science Center in Los Angeles to be displayed to the public. After this mission, the space agency plans to launch just one more shuttle flight – a June mission using the shuttle Atlantis.

Visit SPACE.com for complete coverage of Endeavour's final mission STS-134 or follow us @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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Tariq Malik
Tariq Malik
Editor-in-Chief

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik.