2 SHUTTLES WAITING FOR LIFTOFF OK RAIN DELAYS CRAFTS' TRANSPORT TO FLORIDA.Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. - With a short break coming between weather fronts, NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. shuttle managers are hoping to send the orbiters Atlantis and Columbia on their way to Florida this week. Columbia, mounted atop its modified Boeing 747 carrier aircraft since Saturday, has been prevented by rain from leaving Air Force Plant 42. At Edwards, workers at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center The Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC), located inside Edwards Air Force Base, is an aeronautical research center operated by NASA. On March 26, 1976 it was named in honor of the late Hugh L. mounted the shuttle Atlantis atop a second 747 shuttle carrier in preparation for its return flight to Florida. One or both of the orbiters could leave the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley today, although weather predictions indicate that conditions would be more favorable on Thursday. Weather has also been poor between the Antelope Valley and the intermediate landing fields en route to Florida. ``Ferry flights are prohibited from flying through rain due to the potential damage it could cause to the shuttle's insulation blankets and tiles, and the modified Boeing 747 carrier aircraft are not capable of flying above the weather when carrying the shuttles,'' NASA spokesman Alan Brown
When the orbiters do leave the Antelope Valley, there will be a gap between flights of at least a few hours because NASA does not want to put too much of a burden on the intermediate landing fields en route to Florida. Columbia, temporarily housed at a hangar at SR Technics tech·nic n. 1. technics (used with a sing. or pl. verb) The theory, principles, or study of an art or a process. 2. technics (used with a pl. verb) Technical details, rules, or methods. 3. America until the weather clears, has been in Palmdale for the past 17 months, receiving a series of inspections and modifications, including the installation of touch-screen instrument panels. Atlantis has been at Edwards since Feb. 20, when it wrapped up a 13-day mission to the international space station. Atlantis was diverted to an Edwards landing because of poor weather over Florida last week. NASA wants Atlantis back in Kennedy for a June launch. Columbia is due for an August flight. The next shuttle due to go into space is Discovery, scheduled for a March 8 launch. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Technicians at Edwards Air Force Base attach the space shuttle space shuttle, reusable U.S. space vehicle. Developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), it consists of a winged orbiter, two solid-rocket boosters, and an external tank. Atlantis to a NASA 747 for its trip back to Florida. The Columbia, which has been undergoing modifications, is also waiting to fly East. Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer |
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