Florida Today(29-06-2006)
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060629/NEWS02/606290339/1007/NEWS02

Countdown continues, but storms a concern

BY TODD HALVORSON and JOHN KELLY

CAPE CANAVERAL - Discovery's launch countdown is under way, but forecasters say storm clouds likely will keep the shuttle grounded throughout the holiday weekend.

Seasonal afternoon thunderstorms are expected to sweep into the area Saturday, Sunday and Monday, bringing with them thick anvil clouds charged with electricity.

A shuttle flying through such clouds could trigger destructive bolts of lightning, instantly creating electrical potential for catastrophe.

Meteorologists say there is a 60 percent chance that stormy weather will prohibit launch during the weekend. Worse conditions are expected by the middle of next week.

Still, NASA officials are quick to note that shuttles have launched despite more dismal forecasts.

"Obviously these forecasts, while they sound a little bit gloomy, we've certainly launched with higher predictions than this," NASA TestDirector Jeff Spaulding said Wednesday.

Former astronaut Bruce Melnick beat the odds.

A mission specialist on Endeavour's first flight in 1992, Melnick and six crewmates headed out to launch pad 39B amid rain showers spawned by thunderstorms.

"We got strapped into the orbiter and were laying on our backs, and there was actually rain coming down on the windscreen," said Melnick, 56, a Merritt Island resident who now is vice president of Florida operations for the Boeing Co.

"We said, 'What are we doing here? What are the odds of flying today?'"

They were grim.

Less than the chances that Discovery will launch as scheduled at 3:49 p.m. Saturday.

Then something amazing happened.

"The clouds parted, blue skies, it opened up, and off we went into space," Melnick said. "So you never know."

NASA must launch Discovery by July 19 or delay its mission until late August.

Its launch window, which opens Saturday, is based on safety restrictions that limit NASA to launching the shuttle during daylight hours and at times when the ship's redesigned external tank will be jettisoned on the sunlit side of Earth.

The idea is to use radar and cameras to image the shuttle during launch so engineers can see if the deadly foam-shedding problem that caused the 2003 Columbia accident is under control.

A three-day launch countdown began at 5 p.m. Wednesday. NASA aims to finish final launch preparations and then begin fueling the shuttle's 15-story tank around 6 a.m. Saturday.

Despite the forecast, NASA is intent on making a run at sending Discovery and its seven astronauts into space during the agency's first opportunity.

"That's always our plan -- to try to get off if we have an opportunity," Spaulding said. "As always, we'll evaluate the weather real-time and make a decision on the day of launch."