In a scene familiar to shuttle watchers, launch of space shuttle Discovery was postponed today when strong thunderstorms drifted over the Florida launch site. Lightning, heaving rain and thick clouds forced a 24-hour postponement of the shuttle's mission to service the International Space Station and perform the final station crew member rotation from the space shuttle before it's retired just over a year from now.
FREE VIDEO: MESSAGE FROM COMEDIAN STEPHEN COLBERT FREE VIDEO: THE LAUNCH ATTEMPT IS SCRUBBED DUE TO WEATHER ALL-ACCESS SUBSCRIBERS: NASA TV LAUNCH COMMENTARY, 150 KBPS STREAM, PART 1 ALL-ACCESS SUBSCRIBERS: NASA TV LAUNCH COMMENTARY, 150 KBPS STREAM, PART 2 ALL-ACCESS SUBSCRIBERS: TANKING COMMENTARY, 150 KBS STREAM ALL-ACCESS SUBSCRIBERS: FULL NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS STREAM - PART 1 ALL-ACCESS SUBSCRIBERS: FULL NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS STREAM - PART 2 ALL-ACCESS SUBSCRIBERS: FULL NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS STREAM - PART 3 ALL-ACCESS SUBSCRIBERS: FULL NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS STREAM - PART 4 ALL-ACCESS SUBSCRIBERS: FULL NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS STREAM - PART 5 ALL-ACCESS SUBSCRIBERS: FULL NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS STREAM - PART 6 ALL-ACCESS SUBSCRIBERS: FULL NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS STREAM - PART 7 ALL-ACCESS SUBSCRIBERS: FULL NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS STREAM - PART 8 ALL-ACCESS SUBSCRIBERS: FULL NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS STREAM - PART 9 ALL-ACCESS SUBSCRIBERS: FULL NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS STREAM - PART 10 ALL-ACCESS SUBSCRIBERS: FULL NASA TV LAUNCH COVERAGE, 1.2 MBPS STREAM - PART 11 MORE COVERAGE OF DISCOVERY'S STS-128 MISSION The preferred launch time tomorrow is 1:10:22 a.m. EDT. Weather looked promising for most of the day with the seabreeze keeping the typical afternoon storms inland over central Florida. However, the air remained unstable throughout the day and, a couple hours before the scheduled launch time, an isolated cell exploded to life about 30 miles offshore. The small storm quickly grew into a large system over hundreds of square miles and headed toward Kennedy Space Center. Although the storms began to weaken as the night wore on, they failed to dissipate enough to allow NASA to give the final "go" for launch. Finally, NASA Launch Director Pete Nickolenko ordered the scrub as the launch team was preparing to come out of the final built-in hold at T-9 minutes. "Well, it looks like everything else was cooperating except for our local area weather," said Nickolenko after polling the launch team to come out of the T-9 hold. "Well C.J., the vehicle and the operations were cooperating but the local weather unfortunately did not, so we'll have to scrub for the day, but hope to try again tomorrow," Nickolenko radioed Discovery's commander Rick "C.J." Sturckow. "We copy that, sir. When the weather is ready to cooperate, we'll be ready to go," Surckow replied. Other than the weather, Discovery's countdown was extremely smooth and there were no technical issues that would have prevented an on-time liftoff at 1:36:04 a.m. EDT. Instead, NASA and Discovery's seven astronauts will have to wait at least one more day to begin their two-week mission to outfit the International Space Station with new science racks and replace aging equipment aboard the 10-year old complex. Wednesday's weather forecast calls for a 70% chance of acceptable conditions for launch. Once again, the primary concern will be possible thunderstorm development in the area. Discovery must launch by August 30 or face a delay until mid-October in order to make way for a Russian launch to the space station as well as the launch of the first Japanese HTV cargo supply vehicle, as well as previously booked activity on the U.S. Air Force's Eastern Range at Cape Canaveral. (The Spacearium / Space Media Corporation)
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