Trouble For The Suhuttle?

My friend Bob’s new website is very good at picking out extreme weather. It’s the reason I got to see this:

KTTS 262202Z 32019G29KT 1/4SM +TSRA GR SCT005 BKN020CB OVC040 21/19 A2988 RMK FRQ LTG SW TS OHD MOV E GR 1/2 PRESRR

That’s a weather observation from the Space Shuttle Launch Facility in Florida taken at 5:02 PM EST. It shows gusty winds, heavy rain and a thunderstorm with frequent lightning. It also shows “GR” – hail.

Normally, that wouldn’t be such a big deal, except Shuttle Atlantis is on the pad (the photo on the left is from an earlier mission), ready for the next launch.

I have no idea whether the hail did any damage, but I would hope the post-storm examination will be thorough.

Life in Florida isn’t quite as simple as it seems.

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