Reply #2: AP: NASA Scrubs Tuesday Shuttle Launch [View All]

NaSa Scrubs Tuesday Shuttle Launch


Monday August 28, 2006 12:46 PM

BY SETH BORENSTEIN

AP Science Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - With Tropical Storm Ernesto breathing down their necks,
NASA managers gave up on a Tuesday space shuttle launch and prepared to move Atlantis
indoors if the storm continues to threaten.

The National Hurricane Center's Monday morning forecast put Ernesto's track almost
directly over Kennedy Space Center late Wednesday or early Thursday, and listed a nearly
50 percent chance of tropical storm force winds just south of the cape.

If NASA decides to move Atlantis, it won't start until Tuesday, giving engineers the
opportunity to still launch on Sept. 3 if Ernesto's track moves away from Florida, NASA
spokesman Bob Jacobs said Monday. The final decision will likely be made Tuesday, he said.