Storms threaten to delay final space shuttle launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Thunderstorms threatened to delay the last space shuttle launch, set for today, and a lightning strike near the pad briefly caused a flurry of concern at NASA before engineers concluded that the shuttle was OK.

The lightning hit a water tower about 500 feet from the launchpad at midday Thursday, the space agency said. Technicians checked for any signs of electrical problems, but a review board ruled out any damage.

The forecast for today, meanwhile, looked dismal, with only a 30% chance of acceptable weather at launch time, 11:26 a.m.

NASA test director Jeff Spaulding pointed out that space shuttles have managed to launch with worse forecasts.

"There's some opportunity there," he said Thursday as the rain set in. "It's a really tough day if you make a decision not to go and it turns out to be good weather."

NASA is closing out its 30-year space shuttle program to take aim at asteroids and Mars, destinations favored by the White House. Private companies will take over the job of hauling cargo and crews to the International Space Station.

NASA has until Sunday, possibly Monday, to get Atlantis and its four astronauts in orbit. Otherwise, the spacecraft will remain grounded until the following weekend because of an Air Force rocket launch that takes priority.

Rain or shine, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to jam the area for the launch. Some estimates put the crowd at close to 1 million. Dozens of astronauts already are in town, including the first shuttle pilot, Robert Crippen, who opened the era aboard Columbia in 1981.

"It's a sad time for me, obviously, but it's also a time when I feel pride," Crippen told the Associated Press.

Atlantis is bound for the space station with a year's worth of provisions. NASA wants the orbiting outpost well-stocked in case there are delays in getting commercial cargo hauls started.

The first privately operated supply run -- by Space Exploration Technologies -- is tentatively scheduled for late this year.

The 12-day voyage by Atlantis should culminate with a touchdown back at Kennedy Space Center on July 20, the 42nd anniversary of man's first steps on the moon.

"There's an old saying that says it's better to travel well than to arrive," Spaulding said. "And I'd have to say after the last 30 years, certainly our program and these shuttles, throughout all of their missions, have traveled very well. And after ... landing, I think we can say at that point that we've arrived."