NASA debates shuttle landing sites

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NASA debates

shuttle landing sites

POSTED: 8:41 p.m. EST, December 21, 2006

 

Story

Highlights

• NEW: NASA debating landing sites in Florida, California and New

Mexico

• NASA has seven

chances to land the shuttle on Friday and Saturday

• Shuttle must land by Saturday or it will run out of fuel that supplies its

electricity

 

HOUSTON, Texas

(AP) -- Faced with some less-than-perfect choices, NASA watched the weather

report in three time zones Thursday as it struggled to pick a landing site for space

shuttle Discovery's return to Earth.

The space agency planned to bring the ship home Friday

after a 13-day mission during which its crew rewired the international space

station.

But showers and clouds were forecast at Cape Canaveral, Florida,

and crosswinds were expected at NASA's next-best option, Edwards Air Force Base

in California's Mojave Desert.

At NASA's third-best choice, White Sands, New Mexico, the

weather looked favorable, but that could change later in the day because of a

front coming from California.

And New Mexico is considered inconvenient because the space

agency would have to fly some heavy equipment there to transport the shuttle

back to Florida.

" I have a lot of things to worry about on this flight that I can

control, and the weather is something I can't, " Discovery

commander Mark Polansky told reporters from space. " I'm ready to land at

any of the three sites. "

Entry director Norm Knight, who will be directing the landing, said his

decision on where the shuttle touches down will depend on what the weather

looks like shortly before the seven opportunities arrive Friday. The earliest landing time is at 3:56 p.m. ET at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/space/12/21/space.shuttle.ap/index.html

 

NASA dasha: Ju/Ve/Ra/Ra/Mo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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