Shuttle Launch Postponed
NASA officials hoped to launch the shuttle Discovery, today at 9:30p.m. in Cape Canaveral Florida. This particular liftoff would be the first to occur at night in four years. Flight controllers were tracking the rapidly changing weather patterns at the Kennedy’s Space Center launch pad all day. They were encouraged by a pilot flying above the space station who said that the clouds seemed to be high enough for the launch that was scheduled to occur 90 minutes later. However, 30 minutes before launch time the weather was rendered too cloudy for a successful launch. This was a disappointment to the seven astronauts who had been in the shuttle two hours earlier than their launch time. They all had previously toasted to one another at the pre-launch meal due to the fact that five of the astronauts were going to space for the first time.
The decision to postpone this launch until Saturday was perhaps a wise one. Unfavorable weather conditions represented such as too many clouds, prevent the necessary observation of the shuttle during its ascent, and the shuttle commander needs visibility if an emergency landing is required. The launch of a shuttle into space has become a delicate matter ever since the Challenger disaster in 1986. Like the Discovery, the Challenger had originally been delayed due to bad weather and cross winds that exceeded limits at the Kennedy Space Center Landing Facility. When it was finally launched at 11:38a.m. it exploded only 73 seconds into the launch and killed its seven crew members. The Challenger provides an accurate explanation as to why it is imperative for all elements of the launch to be sufficient, especially the weather.