14 DAY TRIAL // Weather officials at the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida, have just released a projection for how the weather will be like tomorrow, July 8, when the space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to launch on its final voyage ever.
According to the latest data, there is a 70 percent chance that rain clouds, thunderstorms and heavy winds will batter the seaside Launch Pad 39A facility, where the orbiter now lies. A couple of days ago, experts gave a 60 percent chance of this happening.
During a conference held on Wednesday, July 6, NASA mission and flight controllers decided to green-light Atlantis for takeoff. However, it is currently unsure as to when the actual launch will take place.
The NASA flight manifest called for the orbiter to launch from the KSC at 11:26 am EDT (1526 GMT) on Friday, but that timeline will most likely not be met. If the weather hampers the launch attempt, then experts at the American space agency will most likely announce a new date tomorrow.
“It is not looking favorable right now for launch,” Kathy Winters, a NASA shuttle weather officer, told reporters in a KSC briefing. She explains that clouds, rain, wind and lightning will most likely be present in the shuttle's flight path.
All of these phenomena pose a serious risk for flight, and can either damage the vehicle, or take it off course. NASA cannot afford to take this risk, especially considering that this is the last flight in the Space Shuttle Program (SSP), Space reports.
Atlantis' final flight – dubbed STS-135 – will take the shuttle on a 12-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The orbiter carries a year's worth of supplies to the six-astronaut ISS crew.
The spacecraft will be manned by a crew of only four astronauts, as no extravehicular activities are planned outside the orbital lab. In addition to the supplies, the shuttle is also carrying scientific experiments, spare parts and personal items for members of Expedition 28.
“We are not at all in the mode that taking more time to make this launch happen is a good thing," The team's ready. They're prepared. Everything is in the right spot,” says Mike Moses.
“This is a normal countdown for us. It's time to go, so we're more than ready,” adds the official, who is the chief of Atlantis' mission management team.