Space Shuttle Endeavour on launchpad, illuminated by lightning storm

Hello from Florida, where we observed dramatic electrical storms tonight near Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. Above, Space Shuttle Endeavour on the launch pad, illuminated by lightning. Despite the weather, Endeavour is still on track to blast off on mission STS-134 tomorrow afternoon, at 3:47pm Eastern time. The planned retraction from the Rotating Service Structure (or RSS for short, the thing that surrounds the shuttle, and allows crew to access various levels for last-minute checks or repairs) is now planned to start in just a few minutes, at 1145pm ET. That step was delayed from an earlier-scheduled start time, due to weather. Image by Bill Ingalls, courtesy NASA, more sizes here.

• [querent]

  The RSS has been rolled away, and they’re saying 70% chance of acceptable weather conditions when launch time hits.

  I’m going to be proctoring a stupid calculus midterm when (if) it happens.

• [Donald Petersen]

  Neat. I was born at 3:47 PM.

  Uh, in December. About 40 years ago.

• [Cook!EMonstA]

  Has anyone posted to World Net Daily about how Jeebus is very very very angry at the space shuttle? Or did the Super Outbreak of tornadoes shut them up for a while..?

• [Antinous / Moderator]

  Needs more Colin Clive.

• [Anonymous]

  Over active imagination here;that gantry complex sure looks like a toy robot (complete with Bender antenna) gritting its teeth around a cigar.

  now back to this historic event already in progress

• [Talia]

  Looks like an evil robot.

• [RapidEye]

  lets hope the storms squelch the wildfires!

  I’ll be there tomorrow at the Visitor’s Center – Xeni, make sure you wave to us in the cheap seats. =-)

  God Speed Endeavor!!!