Atlantis originally was scheduled for liftoff Aug. 27 but was delayed, first by a lightning strike at the launch pad, then by Tropical Storm Ernesto. NASA had started to move Atlantis back to the hangar because of Ernesto but changed course last week. By sending the shuttle back to the launch pad, NASA gained enough time to prepare for a launch this week.
If Atlantis doesn't get up in the air this week, the next chance probably won't come until the end of October.
The Russians plan on Sept. 18 to launch a Soyuz capsule ferrying two new station crew members and the space station's first female tourist, Dallas-area entrepreneur Anousheh Ansari. Officials with both space agencies did not want the shuttle and Soyuz at the space station simultaneously, for fear it would create a traffic jam.
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