Track the stormy weather delaying the Space Shuttle landing again

Another extra day in space for Atlantis astronauts may be the break they deserve after a successful mission repairing the Hubble telescope.  See some incredible images here. See the radar and satellite below.  Florida has had over 2 feet of rain in spots this week, and gusty winds still linger.  Landing the shuttle has different weather requirements than launching weather.  At speeds nearly 400mph in the lower atmosphere (troposphere), rain drops can act like bullets on the sensitive heat tiles on the underbelly of the aircraft.  The returning craft uses no engine power, and behaves lick a glider- or "brick with wings' as the astronauts call it.

Saturday's landing in Florida got scrubbed, making the second day in a row with bad weather in Florida.  The next attempt will be at 10:11am EDT on Sunday.  If that does not happen, then Edwards Air Force Base in Caliornia or White Sands New Mexico may be the option used on Monday.  However, it costs $1.8 million to transport the shuttle back to Florida. Atlantis is carrying life support supplies that last until Monday.

This storm was showing signs of tropical development that I showed in posts earlier this week, but more likely it will just be a heavy rain maker between the Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida section of the Gulf Coast:

• Monday morning's Florida drought review
• Click for the interactive Tropics Map, Satellite, Radar, etc

Track the weather in Florida with interactive radar images and satellite loop:

Satellite Floater