NASA has postponed the launch of their upcoming shuttle mission named Atlantis.
The space shuttle Atlantis suffered small dings on its external fuel tank when hail the size of golf balls fell on it.
Earlier the launch was set for March 15; the damage could have delayed the launch by a month at the minimum.
Officials at the space agency have planned to move the shuttle to the giant hangar to examine the damage and if the damage is severe then NASA will have to send the shuttle to its original manufacturer in New Orleans.
The storm lobbed hailstones at the launch pad making a ring of hundreds of dings on the upper reaches of the 153-foot-tall external tank, some foam was also crushed along the wedge-shaped brackets.
This delay in the launch means that Russians will go first on a mission to the ISS in the first part of April.
NASA has plans to launch five shuttle missions in this year. According to the officials this delay will have little impact on other launches that are proposed for this year.
Astronauts aboard Atlantis will remain in space for a period of 11 days and during that stay they are scheduled to deliver a 35,000-pound addition to the ISS, add a new pair of solar arrays and conduct at least three spacewalks.
Via: msnbc
