Shift in Winds Keeps Space Shuttle Atlantis Orbiting Another Day

In a dramatic illustration of how vulnerable the space program is to the whims of nature, the landing of the Atlantis was called off Monday when winds suddenly shifted moments before the space shuttle was to plunge into the atmosphere on an irreversible course for California.

If the wind had waited for about one minute to shift, the craft would have gone into its “de-orbit burn,” which would have sent it over the dry lake landing field here at a time when weather conditions could have exceeded safety standards established by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

After worrying most of the day over head winds that hovered at the maximum allowed by NASA--gusts up to 25 knots--the winds suddenly shifted to the west, creating cross-currents of 16 knots to 17 knots. Winds across the landing area are not supposed to exceed 15 knots.

Because it takes an hour for the shuttle to descend through the atmosphere, the conditions could have worsened before the craft touched down.

“We’re a wave-off,” re-entry flight director Lee Briscoe in Houston told the crew at about 2:20 p.m. “We’ll shut it down.”

Once the shuttle fires its engines and drops out of orbit, it must continue to land because the craft does not have the power to return to orbit. The reliability of the weather is one reason NASA prefers to land the big bird here instead of at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, which is the first alternate landing site.

Monday, California’s weather played a trick on five men who were completing the seventh and final secret mission of the space shuttle program. The Defense Department will be switching to unmanned vehicles for its classified missions.

It was a dramatic moment here at this sprawling base in the Mojave Desert, and disappointing for the crew.

“The crew is all dressed up with no place to go,” Atlantis commander Richard Covey radioed to Mission Control in Houston, referring to the fact that the crew had already donned their pressurized landing suits.

The situation remains disconcerting for NASA because conditions today are not expected to be much better. That means the landing could be delayed until Wednesday, and that would push the flight almost to its limit. Shuttle flights are planned with two extra days in case something goes wrong. Although it is possible to stretch that to three, NASA officials prefer not to cut it that close.

The delayed landing was about the only excitement to come out of this classified mission. The Atlantis reportedly deployed a spy satellite for the Pentagon.

Members of the crew include Covey, 44, an Air Force colonel, and Navy Cmdr. Frank Culbertson, 41, the co-pilot; Marine Col. Robert Springer, 48, Air Force Lt. Col. Carl Meade, 40, and Army Maj. Charles Gemar, 35.

They will have three chances to land today, depending on the weather: 1:36 p.m., 3:11 p.m. and 4:45 p.m.