Weather worsens for NASA's last shuttle launch
July 6, 2011 By MARCIA DUNN , AP Aerospace Writer
Space Shuttle Atlantis is seen at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla. Tuesday July 5, 2011. Atlantis and a crew of four are scheduled to lift off Friday July 8, 2011 on the final launch of the space shuttle program. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
(AP) -- The weather isn't cutting NASA any breaks, not even for the last space shuttle launch.
Forecasters say there's a 70 percent chance that rain or thunderstorms will prevent Atlantis from flying Friday. That's worse than before. The weather forecast improves slightly over the weekend.
Mission managers were reviewing all the flight details one last time Wednesday. Despite the poor weather outlook, they were expected to give a "go" for launch.
This will be the 135th and final mission of NASA's 30-year shuttle program. Four astronauts will ride Atlantis one last time on a supply run to the International Space Station.
As many as 1 million people are expected to jam Cape Canaveral for the historic liftoff. Launch time is 11:26 a.m.
©2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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