Lightning strike delays space shuttle's launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla, Aug 26 (Reuters) NASA has delayed tomorrow's planned launch of the space shuttle Atlantis for 24 hours to assess possible damage from a lightning strike on the ship's Florida launch pad, the US space agency said today.

Postponement of the launch until 3:04 pm EDT (0034 Ist) on Monday would give managers more time to analyze data from shuttle systems and ground support equipment that may have been affected by the lightning bolt that struck on Friday, NASA spokesman Bruce Buckingham said.

The mission, the third since the 2003 space shuttle Columbia disaster, is a critical part of NASA's efforts to finish building the International Space Station before the shuttle fleet is retired in 2010.

There was no apparent damage from the lightning bolt which struck a thick wire at the top of the shuttle's seaside launch pad at about 2 pm EDT (2330 IST) on Friday, said Jeff Spaulding, a NASA launch supervisor, in a news conference today.

The wire is part of the launch pad's lightning protection system.

''So far it looks favorable,'' said Spaulding, adding that equipment evaluations remained under way.

The delay positions NASA for a launch attempt under much more favorable weather conditions than had been forecast for Sunday.

Forecasters today predicted a 60 per cent chance that weather would delay tomorrow's liftoff, but the outlook for Monday is for just a 20 per cent chance of a weather-related delay.

Any rain when the shuttle blasts off from its launch pad could damage the spaceship's heat-shielding tiles, and a lightning strike could knock out the computers that control the ship. Even some kinds of thick, high clouds make launch precarious.

Atlantis' mission is the first with a primary goal of working on construction of the space station since the 2003 Columbia accident, and another accident or serious problem would likely ground the shuttles permanently.

TROPICAL STORM ERNESTO NASA is also keeping a sharp eye on Tropical Storm Ernesto.

By Thursday the storm, which is projected to hit the Gulf of Mexico, could develop into a Category 3 hurricane on the 5-step Saffir Simpson scale of storm intensity, with sustained winds of at least 111 miles per hour.

NASA is concerned the storm could pose a threat to its Mission Control Center in Houston. It may also affect plans to ship a shuttle external fuel tank from NASA's manufacturing facility near New Orleans in time to support an emergency rescue mission, should Atlantis sustain Columbia-like damage during launch.

Columbia was hit by a piece of foam insulation that fell off its fuel tank during launch. Damage from the impact triggered the shuttle's breakup over Texas as it flew through the atmosphere for landing on February 1, 2003. All seven astronauts aboard the shuttle died.

While the shuttle fleet was grounded for repairs and safety upgrades after Columbia, work on the International Space Station came to a halt.

Following two flights to test safety upgrades made after the accident, NASA is now ready to restart station construction with the launch of Atlantis.

Atlantis will carry one of the heaviest shuttle payloads, including a 35,000-pound power module for the space station.

It is set for an 11-day mission. However, if NASA should have to evacuate its Houston center, the six-member shuttle crew would be told to leave the space station and land at the first safe opportunity.

REUTERS DKS BST0114