10...9...no, wait...okay, 10...9...uh-oh, wait again...

Well, poop.

The shuttle launch was rescheduled from Sunday to Monday because lightning had struck the launch pad on Friday & they had to check for damage.
Now it's delayed further, because of a hurricane headed this way:

(from CNN:)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida (CNN) -- NASA will not launch the space shuttle Atlantis on Tuesday as Tropical Storm Ernesto threatens Florida, the space agency said Monday.

Atlantis will be rolled back from the launch pad and into its shelter Tuesday morning "unless something really extraordinary happens" with Ernesto's path and intensity, the space agency said.

Ernesto weakened to a tropical storm Sunday, but forecasters warned the storm could regain hurricane status as it moves over Cuba and north toward Florida. (Full story)

If the shuttle leaves its launch pad Tuesday, liftoff would be pushed beyond a September 7 deadline imposed so that the Atlantis mission would not interfere with a Russian Soyuz flight to the international space station in mid-September, said LeRoy Cain, NASA's launch integration manager.

Discussions are under way with Russian officials that could change that deadline and allow the shuttle to begin a mission before its launch window closes on September 13.

Atlantis' next launch window would not open up until October 20, Cain said.

Imagine what this must be like for the crew, who waited four years for this mission, and now they're on lockdown, waiting to see if it's a go or if they'll just fly some planes & go home.

We had fun at the Space Center, anyway. Had lunch with an astronaut, who talked about some of the missions, and what it's like, and he answered questions. I recorded a little of his talk, and I'll post the video once I figure out how to compress it.

The visit with our family was wonderful - it's always great to spend time with them! :-)