Shuttle Discovery's landing delayed
Last Updated: Thursday, September 10, 2009 | 9:28 PM ET
CBC News
Bad weather in Florida forced NASA to put off a Thursday landing of the space shuttle Discovery.
The threat of thunderstorms and strong winds in the Cape Canaveral region prevented the U.S. space agency from using two windows of opportunity to bring the shuttle home.
"Just doesn't look like it's coming together for us," radioed Mission Control.
"We know that everybody worked it as hard as they could," replied shuttle commander Rick Sturckow, "and we'll look forward to trying again."
The first possible Friday landing time in Florida is 5:48 p.m. ET, although the weather forecast for the area is not promising.
Entry flight director Richard Jones has decided to activate Edwards Air Force Base in California as an alternate landing site, NASA said.
Mission control told the crew that if the shuttle can't land in Florida in one of two available windows, then it will land in California.
The space agency prefers to land the shuttle in Florida because the cross-country ferry on the back of a jet costs $1.7 million US and takes more than a week.
Discovery had enough supplies to remain in orbit until Sunday.
Earlier Thursday, NASA moved Discovery out of the way of a mystery piece of orbiting junk.
The astronauts fired shuttle thrusters about noon ET Thursday to avoid what Mission Control called a "mystery object."
Officials say the debris apparently came off the linked shuttle and international space station during a spacewalk Saturday. Experts do not know what the piece is.
Discovery and its seven-member crew spent more than a week at the International Space Station. The shuttle will be returning to Earth with U.S. astronaut Timothy Kopra, who has spent nearly two months at the station.
On the other hand, Buzz Lightyear, a doll based on the fictional character from the film Toy Story, has been at the station since June 2008. The 30-centimetre doll was being filmed at the station as part of a joint educational initiative for children organized by NASA and Disney Parks. It will accompany the Discovery astronauts back to Earth and then head to Walt Disney World.
With files from The Associated Press
