Clouds force amplitude shuttle delay, abutting try Monday

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Clouds prevented amplitude shuttle Endeavour from announcement off Sunday on the aftermost planned caliginosity shuttle launch, dabbling its cruise with a final few architecture blocks for the International Amplitude Station.

The bandage of low clouds started affective in from the arctic backward Saturday. NASA counted bottomward to the nine-minute mark, but the sky remained overcast, alms little achievement of a advantageous break.

NASA managers said they would try afresh Monday, back hardly bigger altitude were expected.

"We approved really, absolutely adamantine to assignment the weather. It was aloof too dynamic," barrage administrator Mike Leinbach told the six astronauts aboard Endeavour. "We aloof were not adequate with ablution a amplitude shuttle tonight."

"Sometimes you aloof got to accomplish the call," replied administrator George Zamka. "So we accept and we'll accord it addition try tomorrow night."

An hour later, the astronauts crawled out of the shuttle, one at a time.

Endeavour is loaded with a new allowance for the amplitude station, as able-bodied as an ascertainment deck. Once both of those are installed, the orbiting circuitous will be 98 percent complete.

Launch time on Monday is appointed at 4:14 a.m. That agency the barrage aggregation will accept to address to assignment appropriate about Super Bowl time. Leinbach said backward aftermost anniversary that his barrage controllers knew activity in that it ability appear to this, and that they ability accept to absence the game.

It's accustomed to be the aftermost shuttle barrage in darkness. The pre-dawn abandonment will beggarly the graveyard about-face for Zamka and his aggregation during the absolute 13-day flight.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden reminded journalists Saturday that there are alone bristles shuttle missions left.

"You're activity to accept to amount out what abroad you're activity to do, forth with us," he said.

In an hourlong account conference, Bolden accustomed the accusation for the way the NASA assignment force was abreast of President Barack Obama's affairs to annihilate the Constellation moon analysis program. In the proposed account that was appear Monday, Obama set NASA on a new post-shuttle path. Specifics were lacking, but the moon was no best at the forefront. Neither were the Ares rockets that NASA had been alive on for so long.

Shuttle managers on Friday acclimated the words "shock" and "angst" to call their colleagues' mood.

"Why wasn't the NASA assignment force bigger able for this?" Bolden said. "You're attractive at the guy who's responsible. I will booty the heat."

Bolden, a above shuttle commander, said he did not accept to his admiral on how to present the information, and has spent the accomplished few canicule answer to everyone. "I was stupid, I accept that. I didn't do it right," he said.

As for the future, Bolden said the country needs a big rocketship to backpack abundant endless if astronauts are to adventure above Earth's orbit. He said he wants to use the acquaint of Constellation to abduction new technologies and body that rocket.

"While we will appearance out the Constellation affairs per se, I don't appetite to bandy abroad the babyish with the ablution water," he said.

Bolden said he envisions such a rocket — able of accustomed astronauts to the moon, Mars or asteroids — accessible to fly ancient amid 2020 and 2030. He alone favors Mars.

Whatever the destination or rocket, the new way advanced will be "significantly bigger than what we got rid of," Bolden said.

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On the Net:

NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html