Another Possible Delay

In a scenario that has been all too common during the run of the shuttle program, NASA is already saying the launch of space shuttle Endeavour Saturday evening may be delayed because of stormy weather. Such weather in the late afternoon and early evening is nearly the rule in Florida summers because of the energy that builds in the atmosphere through the early part of the day and the moisture in the air over a fairly narrow peninsula.

As long as spaceflight remains based on rocket launches, flying from Florida will have to factor in the weather. NASA's next program, Constellation, will also depend on rocket launches, and will also leave from Cape Kennedy. Long term, a robust space program must have a more reliable launch capability. Going somewhere that has more benign weather would be one solution, but NASA is not about to turn Cape Kennedy into an historic site any time soon. The ultimate solution will be moving away from rocket launches to spaceships that can take off from runways, and do so in most weather conditions. Unfortunately, those ships are likely decades away.