The Space Shuttle Discovery can't catch a break. Inclement weather has delayed the shuttle launch again; NASA officials will try again on Friday.
"Managers will delay Discovery's launch for 24 hours due to weather," NASA said in a Tuesday morning statement. "Mission managers will meet tomorrow at 5am to re-evaluate the weather conditions."
If the launch remains on schedule, it will happen at 3:04pm Eastern on Friday.
Most recently, Discovery was set for a 3:52pm Wednesday launch, but concerns about electrical issues pushed it to Thursday. Unfortunately, the weather forecast for Thursday at Cape Canaveral, Fla. called for up to an inch of rain and cloud coverage. Yesterday, NASA officials said there was an 80 percent chance that weather would delay a Thursday launch.
NASA has specific, weather-related criteria (PDF) for a launch. Officials cannot fuel the shuttle if the 24-hour temperature has been below 41 degrees Fahrenheit, or if the temperature has fallen below 33 degrees at any time during the previous 24 hours. After fueling begins, a shuttle launch could be delayed if the temperature exceeds 99 degrees for more than 30 minutes. In terms of winds, shuttle fueling will not begin if wind exceeds 42 knots; allowable wind ranges from 19 to 34 knots.
A launch could also be delayed if there is a 20 percent change of lightning within five nautical miles of the launch pad during the first hour of fueling. There are types of clouds, meanwhile, that are known to contain hazardous electric fields. As a result, the shuttle cannot launch through cumulus clouds with top temperatures higher than 41 degrees F or lower than 23 degrees. Thick or anvil clouds can also cause issues, as can debris clouds and smoke plumes, NASA said.
The weather prediction for Cape Canaveral on Thursday is scattered thunderstorms and wind, with a high of 80 degrees. Friday is set to be partly cloudy and windy with a high of 69 degrees and a 20 percent chance of precipitation, according to Weather.com.
This is the fourth delay for the Space Shuttle Discovery launch. The shuttle was initially scheduled to launch on Monday, but helium and nitrogen leaks in the pressurization portion of space shuttle pushed that to Tuesday. When repairs related to those leaks lasted longer than expected, NASA again delayed the launch to Wednesday at 3:52pm Eastern time. Electrical issues then pushed the launch to Thursday, and now Mother Nature is having her say.
The shuttle launch is not the only thing going on at NASA today, however. NASA's EPOXI mission is closing in on the comet Hartley 2; researchers are looking to snap images of it to "further understand the nature of comets," NASA said in a statement.