Endeavour to attempt launch again today
10:28 PM
Nasa Information
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NASA scrubbed the planned Sunday launch of space shuttle Endeavour because of approaching thunderstorms.
The launch has been reset for 6:51 p.m. today, when the forecast is 60 percent "go."
"We got the vehicle ready, and the weather unfortunately did not cooperate with us (Sunday)," launch director Pete Nickolenko radioed to Endeavour commander Mark Polansky. "We had some colliding sea breezes."
"We understand and we'll be ready," Polansky replied.
The closeout crew will return to launch pad 39A to help the seven astronauts out of their seats so they can return to crew quarters.
More than an hour before launch time, managers became concerned about storms moving within 20 miles of Kennedy Space Center's landing strip.
But by the final readiness poll of launch managers just after 7 p.m., the storms were within 10 miles of the launch pad and moving closer, with no hope they would clear in time for a 10-minute launch window.
With the launch "red" for two weather criteria, managers called it a day.
This is the mission's fourth launch delay.
Tuesday could be the last launch opportunity for Endeavour until late this month.
A Russian Progress cargo spacecraft is scheduled to launch to the space station later this month, and NASA doesn't want the shuttle there at the same time.
Talks are expected to begin to see if the Progress mission could be delayed enough to give NASA a launch attempt Wednesday.
Otherwise, the shuttle would stand down until July 27.
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