By KUNA
Washington : NASA could postpone the long-overdue launch of space shuttle Atlantis, set for Thursday, because of a deadly weather pattern that cut through the south, the space agency said late Wednesday.
Forecasters are saying the storms that have spawned tornadoes across the southern states — that left 52 dead and injured hundreds across five states — will hit Florida tomorrow, the day the Atlantis shuttle is finally supposed to take off.
According to official for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, there is a 70 percent chance of unfavorable weather in central Florida area on Thursday from the same storm system spawned dozens of tornadoes across Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Tennessee.
But forecasters predict the storm is expected to lose steam by the time it reaches Florida.
The space shuttle Atlantis was originally set for lift-off in December but rescheduled due to several electrical problems, including fault fuel gauges, kept the mission grounded for months.
If the Thursday lift-off is delayed, officials indicated the launch would likely be moved to Friday or Saturday, when the the chance of unfavorable weather is slightly improved.
On board the Atlantis shuttle is the latest addition to the ISS, the Columbus laboratory module. It is first permanent module for the European Space Agency, and the second module to be added to the International Space Station, following the installation of the Harmony module last November.
According to the National Weather Service, tornado watches were still in effect on late Wednesday in parts of Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and in western parts of Florida.