Thunderstorms forced NASA to call off yesterday's launch of space shuttle Discoveryon a mission to deliver fresh supplies and a new crew to the international space station.
Launch controllers at Cape Canaveral, Florida, said they would try again later today, although the weather was expected to worsen.
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The
Discoverysits on a launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center
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Thick, dark clouds began moving in, and a lightning warning was announced over loudspeakers as the last of the seven astronauts and cosmonauts was strapped in place aboard
Discovery
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The delay added another day to the flight of the space station crew - already in orbit for five months.
Discoveryis loaded with several thousand pounds of space station equipment, including a spare command-and-control computer, sleeping compartment, science experiments, and clothes and food for the next crew. The space station has just enough food for another month.
The next space station expedition will focus more on research and Russian building work.
AP