CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Rain in the forecast threatened to delay the last space-shuttle launch, set for today, and a lightning strike near the pad caused a flurry of concern at NASA before engineers concluded the spaceship was OK.
The lightning bolt hit a water tower about 500 feet from the launchpad at midday Thursday, the space agency said. Technicians hurried out to check for electrical problems, but a review board ruled out any damage.
Over the years, lightning has struck on or near the launchpad occasionally, delaying a few launches but causing no damage.
The forecast for today, meanwhile, looked dismal, with only a 30 percent chance of acceptable weather at launch time, 9:26 a.m. MDT.
NASA test director Jeff Spaulding pointed out that space shuttles have managed to launch with worse forecasts.
“There’s some opportunity there,” he said Thursday as the rain set in. “It’s a really tough day if you make a decision not to go and it turns out to be good weather.”
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is closing out its 30-year space-shuttle program to take aim at asteroids and Mars, destinations favored by the White House. Private companies will take over the job of hauling cargo and crews to the international space station, freeing NASA up to focus on points beyond.
NASA has until Sunday, possibly Monday, to get Atlantis and its four astronauts into orbit. Otherwise, the spacecraft will remain grounded until the following weekend because of an Air Force rocket launch that takes priority.
Rain or shine, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to jam the area for the launch.
Some estimates put the expected crowd at close to 1 million. Dozens of astronauts already are in town, including the very first shuttle pilot, Robert Crippen, who opened the era aboard Columbia in 1981.
“It’s a sad time for me, obviously. But it’s also a time when I feel pride. I’m proud of what the shuttle has done,” Crippen said. “You’ve got to get it back down on the ground safely. So when we finally get ‘wheels stop,’ it will be an emotional moment for me.”
Final shuttle mission
Primary payload: Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, which is filled with supplies and spare parts for the international space station
Scheduled launch time: 9:26 a.m. MDT today
Launch site: Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39A
