Atlantis Can't Return to Earth Because of Bad Weather

Yesterday, the space shuttle Atlantis undocked from the International Space Station and began the journey home, after delivering to the ISS new solar power wings and a fresh crew member. The problem is that, for now, thunderstorms and low clouds are threatening to prevent it from landing.

The shuttle already missed the first landing opportunity this morning, when flight rules prevented it from landing, because of thunderstorms within 34 miles and clouds within 8,000 feet of the landing strip at Kennedy Space Center.

"Tomorrow is the first day of summer, and we know what summer brings to Florida, and that is afternoon thunderstorms," John Shannon, chairman of the mission management team, said today. If bad weather continues, Mission Control could choose a backup site.

A third backup in New Mexico could be activated if the situation doesn't change until Saturday, when power will be already low on the shuttle. Atlantis has enough power for its systems to orbit until Sunday, but managers want the shuttle to land by Saturday.

All of Atlantis' astronauts were born in the United States and they are all four first-time spacefliers in the crew - Clayton Anderson, pilot Lee Archambault, Danny Olivas and Steven Swanson - and members of the astronaut class of 1998.

"I'm looking forward to going to the beach and hopefully taking a walk with my husband and my dog on the beach," said Sunita Williams, the female astronaut who set the record for longest single spaceflight by a woman. "I can't wait for a good piece of pizza."

However, NASA managers would rather wait for good weather above Cape Canaveral, than choosing the secondary landing site, since there would be less cost and time in preparing Atlantis for its next mission in December, even though the landing has already been postponed because of technical difficulties on the ISS.