Top News

NASA Scrubs Shuttle Launch Attempt Due To Weather

Next Attempt Set For Early Monday Morning

Low level clouds moving into the Central Florida area violated launch rules and caused NASA to call off their first attempt to launch the Space Shuttle Endeavour today.  The call to cancel came less than 10 minutes from the intended liftoff time.

STS-130 Mission Patch

The weather reports used by NASA come from the USAF Weather Squadron based at nearby Patrick AFB. Visual confirmation of the weather is provided in real time by the Gulfstream GII "Shuttle Training Aircraft" flown around the launch pad and shuttle landing strip.

"We tried really, really hard to work the weather. It was just too dynamic," announced launch director Mike Leinbach from Launch Control Center at KSC. The weather had cycled between acceptable and unacceptable conditions several times with no clear indication that it would stabilize.  "We just were not comfortable with launching a space shuttle tonight," Lienbach told the Endeavour crew.

Reporters watch the Flight Director call for a scrub. Credit: Tim Bailey

"Sometimes you just got to make the call," replied Commander George Zamka from the cockpit of Endeavour, three miles away on the pad. "So we understand and we'll give it another try tomorrow night."

NASA is targeting Monday morning at 4:14am for the second launch attempt.

FMI: www.NASA.gov

Cirrus and Piper In Midair Collision Over Boulder

Update: 747-8 First Flight Completed Successfully

Aero-TV: Safety Tip of the Week - A Guide to Rotax Engine Maintenance Pt. 1

Aero-TV: Boeing’s 747-8 First Flight – New Freighter Takes to the Skies

Aero-TV: Flight of a Lifetime - Brian Binnie Recounts X PRIZE Win

NASA's Redirection: Beware Of Politicians Offering Vague Goals Without Deadlines

DC Area Airports All Shut Down By Snowpocalypse

Boeing 747-8 Freighter Successfully Completes First Flight

Final Night Shuttle Launch Comes Just Under 24 Hours Late

Current E-Vents

Subscribe to Aero-News

Enter your email address and choose the Aero-Newsletters you want to be subscribed to.

Email Address
Propwash Propwash newsletter Do not subscribe me to this newsletter Subscribe me to the text version of this newsletter Subscribe me to the HTML version of this newsletter Subscribe me to the PDF version of this newsletter

See all we have to offer

• You are using a browser that is not supported by Aero-News.net. In order to fully appreciate all that we have to offer, we recommend that you upgrade to a browser supported by Aero-News.net:
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer (Version 5 or later)
  • Netscape (Version 6 or later)
  • Opera (Version 5 or later)
• You have not enabled non-persistent (also called per-session) cookies. Aero-News.net uses these cookies (which are not stored on your computer) to keep you logged in and to keep track of your preferences.
• You do not have JavaScript turned on. Aero-News.net is an interactive site, and JavaScript is how we provide that interactivity. Our use of JavaScript is limited only to giving you a more interactive experience.