Continuing Bad Weather Shifts Next Shuttle Landing Attempt to Friday

The Space Shuttle Endeavour will spend at least one more day in space after rain, clouds and windy conditions at the Kennedy Space Center prompted flight controllers to wave off today’s opportunities to bring Endeavour and its crew of seven home.

There are two opportunities for Endeavour to return home to Florida on Friday. The first
begins with an engine firing at 11:51 a.m. Central Time leading to a 12:57 p.m. touchdown in Florida. A second opportunity is available with a 1:27 p.m. deorbit burn leading to a 2:33 p.m. landing.

Flight controllers will continue to monitor weather forecasts throughout the day. Preliminary forecasts indicate a continuing chance of clouds and rain over the next 24 hours. The alternate shuttle landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California will not be called up for support Friday. Endeavour has enough supplies to remain in orbit until at least Sunday if necessary.

Aboard Endeavour are Commander Jim Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart, Mission Specialists Mike Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington and the returning International Space Station Expedition Five crew of Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev. Wetherbee, Lockhart, Lopez-Alegria and Herrington have been aloft since Nov. 23. Korzun, Whitson and Treschev have been in orbit since June 5.

The next Mission Control Center Status Report will be issued Friday morning or as events warrant.