| The U.S. space agency NASA is taking the unusual | | | | launch a crew to the International Space Station. That |
| step of preparing to return a space shuttle to its | | | | crew would exchange the Soyuz emergency escape |
| hangar from the launch pad because of an Atlantic | | | | vehicle at the station for a fresher one, a trade that |
| tropical storm. The move would delay again a | | | | occurs every six months. |
| long-postponed flight to expand the International Space | | | | Russia would prefer not to postpone the exchange, |
| Station. | | | | because each day's delay pushes back the crew's |
| Only four times since 1981 have U.S. shuttles been | | | | landing with the old Soyuz in the steppes of |
| rolled back indoors because of tropical storms and | | | | Kazakhstan earlier each morning, from daylight to |
| hurricanes. | | | | darkness. Moscow wants daylight to help guide |
| But the storm called Ernesto, is threatening to reach | | | | recovery teams in that barren region. |
| the Florida launch site and the space shuttle Atlantis | | | | Still, the cosmonauts and the searchers have |
| with high winds and heavy rains. | | | | sophisticated locator beacons and other tools that |
| "We are firmly on the path to rollback," said shuttle | | | | work in darkness. As a result, U.S. space officials say, |
| launch director Mike Leinbach. He says only a | | | | they are talking to the Russians about delaying the |
| significant decline in Ernesto's intensity or direction | | | | Soyuz trade to enable a September launch of Atlantis. |
| would cause NASA to keep Atlantis at the launch pad. | | | | NASA is eager to get the shuttle to the space station |
| "It's clear in our minds that we are rolling back per plan, | | | | to deliver a major new piece. It has been nearly four |
| unless something really extraordinary happens, and we | | | | years since the last assembly mission, because the |
| choose not to," he added. | | | | shuttle Columbia accident in 2003 grounded all but two |
| Once the shuttle's systems are shut down, huge | | | | test flights since then. NASA must complete the |
| transport vehicles will begin pulling it back to its hangar | | | | complex in the 15 construction flights that remain |
| Tuesday morning, U.S. Eastern Time. Leinbach says | | | | before shuttles are retired in 2010. |
| the maneuver could be stopped once it is under way, | | | | The agency's space station program director, Mike |
| if the weather improves. | | | | Suffredini, says, all subsequent missions depend on the |
| But if the rollback occurs, NASA would not be able to | | | | Atlantis flight, because it is bringing up key early |
| meet its September 7 launch deadline, and would have | | | | components. |
| to wait until October. NASA set the deadline because | | | | "If we don't do this flight, then the next ones don't get |
| a later lift-off would conflict with Russia's plans to | | | | to happen, until we get this work done," he explained. |