14 DAY TRIAL // A team of engineers at the American space agency is conducting a series of investigations of the space shuttle Atlantis and its launch pad, after two massive lightnings struck within less than a miles from the sensitive spacecraft.
The events took place yesterday, July 7, just one day ahead of the orbiter's last planned flight ever. NASA is concerned that some of the most delicate systems on Atlantis may have somehow suffered minor damage from the lightnings.
The two electrical discharges struck around midday, engineers at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) say. Weather officials at NASA have been warning for days that the Florida coast may be battered by bad weather – including thunderstorms and heavy winds – around the planned launch date.
At this point, there is a 70+ percent chance that Atlantis will not be able to start its STS-135 mission today, July 8, on account of the weather. Storms and heavy clouds also threaten the engulf the emergency landing runway, which NASA policies dictate must be clear during launch.
In fact, mission controllers only allow the shuttle to lift off if there are no bad weather conditions within a 20-mile radius from the KSC complex. At this point, very few of the conditions required for allowing take off are met.
According to NASA spokesman Allard Beutel, no obvious signs of damage have been found on the shuttle thus far. The lightnings occurred at 12:31 pm EDT (1631 GMT) and 12:40 pm EDT. The latter struck a beach nearby, whereas the former hit within 515 feet (157 meters) of Atlantis.
The orbiter is scheduled to take off at 11:26 am EDT (1526 GMT) today. Before this happens, the weather must clear, and engineers must give their go-ahead after inspecting Atlantis thoroughly.
If good conditions allow for the orbiter to launch, then the spacecraft will begin its final, 12-day mission today. The shuttle carries a year's worth of supplies for the crew of the International Space Station (ISS). Numerous spare parts are also stored in Atlantis' payload bay.
The orbiter's 33rd launch will conclude the American Space Shuttle Program (SSP), which has been operational for more than 30 years. Upon its return, Atlantis will be decommissioned, and then permanently displayed at the KSC Visitor Complex, Space reports.