Third Attempt of Atlantis Launch on September 6

New projections coming in from The National Hurricane Center about the intensity of the storm has prompted the NASA authorities for volte-face. The 11-day Atlantis mission is now expected to take off on September 6, just a day before the official window period for the launch closes.

Earlier on Tuesday, the NASA space authorities had called off the launch and decided to move the shuttle safely to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The shuttle was on its 4.2-mile trip back to the hanger after the forecasters predicted sustained winds to blow over the Kennedy Space Center. The 10 hour trip back to the hanger was halted mid way when news on changing forecasts poured in.

The unexpected rollback of the Atlantis started at around 10:05 a.m. The Atlantis is expected to be at its launch pad by 8 p.m. The top NASA officers after consulting the weather forcasters ,at around 2:45 pm declared reversel in their decision and the shuttle was directed back to the launch pad. The Atlantis is expected to be at its launch pad by 8 p.m.

NASA looking at September 6 as the next date for attempting a launch as Sep 7 is the deadline. The standard three-day countdown would begin from September 3. The work of pumping back hydrogen and oxygen rocket fuel into the shuttle's external tank would start at around 2:30 a.m. next Wednesday,as launch attempt is expected to be made at 12:29 p.m.

It may be recalled that the NASA space agency had originally set last Sunday, August 27 as the day for the lift off. But the Atlantis mission was delayed first by the lightening strike on the launching pad last week and then by threat posed by the tropical storm Ernesto.

Weather permitting; the launch will take place on the sixth day of September. Third time lucky perhaps!