NASA to Bring Shuttle Back One Day Early

NASA on Tuesday cut a day off the flight of the space shuttle Columbia, blaming unfavorable weather forecasts at the Florida landing site and the rush to prepare the ship for its next mission.

“Don’t shoot the bearer of this message,” spacecraft communicator James Wetherbee begged Columbia’s seven crew members as he told them the shuttle would land at the Kennedy Space Center at 5:28 a.m. PST Thursday, instead of Friday, as planned.

Tuesday held other disappointments, including the continued failure of a light amplifier intended to take enhanced photos of Halley’s comet. And one astronaut, RCA engineer Robert Cenker, was told to stop taking medicine that may have upset his stomach.

NASA Schedule Pinch

Columbia’s mission, which started Sunday--25 days late after a record six postponements, has created a schedule pinch for National Aeronautics and Space Administration officials, who are planning 15 shuttle flights this year.

Columbia is scheduled to be launched again on March 6, and it takes weeks to prepare for the liftoff. There are only a few days during which that mission can be launched to place Columbia in the proper orbit to study Halley’s comet and other celestial targets.

“The ship needs to come back and get into the stream” of preparation, flight director Jay Greene said.

Back-Up Day Wanted

He said Mission Control also wanted to be sure that two days of good weather were available for landing at the Kennedy Space Center. This would allow a back-up day if a mechanical problem blocked a landing on the first opportunity.

Greene said the weather looked good for Thursday and Friday, but was expected to deteriorate Friday night, endangering a potential Saturday landing.

Columbia’s six launch postponements had already forced a one-day delay, to Jan. 24, of the launch of Challenger, the next shuttle mission, which will include Concord, N.H., teacher Sharon Christa McAuliffe as a passenger. Officials expect that flight to slip back another day or two.