STS-125 MCC Status Report #23 – 4:30 p.m. CDT Friday, May 22, 2009

Thunderstorms, low clouds and showers prevented Atlantis’ astronauts from landing today at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew was waved off from its second and final Friday landing attempt about 7 a.m. CDT, when Mission Control sent word that the weather was too unstable to permit a safe landing.

Shortly after the weather wave off, Entry Flight Director Norm Knight called up support for the backup landing site Saturday at Edwards Air Force Base.

There are three landing opportunities available for Atlantis at both Kennedy and Edwards on Saturday. The Kennedy weather forecast is expected to improve somewhat, but there is a good chance weather in the vicinity of the Shuttle Landing Facility will be unfavorable. The Edwards forecast is generally favorable for all three opportunities.

The crew will awaken at 12:01 a.m. CDT, and resume landing preparations at 3 a.m. For the first landing opportunity Saturday, the crew would close the payload bay doors at 4:22 a.m.

For the first Kennedy opportunity, the crew would execute a deorbit burn at 7:01 a.m. and land at 8:15 a.m. The second Kennedy opportunity calls for a deorbit burn at 8:45 a.m. and landing at 9:54 a.m. The third Florida opportunity would begin with a deorbit burn at 10:29 a.m. and result in landing at 11:33 a.m.

The first California landing opportunity would start with a deorbit burn at 8:29 a.m., and result in landing at 9:45 a.m. The second Edwards opportunity would begin with a deorbit burn at 10:11 a.m. and culminate in an 11:23 a.m. landing. The third opportunity would require a deorbit burn at 11:55 a.m. and end with landing at 1:02 p.m.

The crew officially began its sleep shift tonight at 4:01 p.m. today. The next status report will be issued at the beginning of the crew’s day or earlier if events warrant.