Space shuttle expected to set down today after delay

"Bottom line is we're waving off," Mission Control told commander Kenneth Cockrell. "We do have three sites for tomorrow, all of them have a 'go' forecast at this time."

Atlantis and its crew of five undocked from the international space station on Friday, after delivering and installing the $1.4 billion Destiny laboratory, and should have returned to Earth on Sunday.

But the crosswind at the landing strip was well above the 17-mph safety limit, a situation that recurred on Monday. Not only that, thick clouds began moving in on Monday and NASA worried they might bring rain.

The last time Cockrell flew in space, the mission dragged on for almost 18 days because of landing delays and turned out to be the longest shuttle flight ever. Atlantis astronaut Thomas Jones was also on that 1996 mission.

"The rest of the crew wanted me to pass on that I already have the endurance record," Cockrell joked to Mission Control as the weather deteriorated. "So there's no need to try for that this time."

Mission Control replied: "We'll do our best to get you back as well before you exceed that 18-day record you've already set."

Meteorologists expected good weather, finally, at the Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday. The other two options were Edwards Air Force Base in California and White Sands, N.M., as a last resort. A space shuttle has landed only once at White Sands, way back in 1982.

Flight director Leroy Cain said he would not consider White Sands "unless it was the only place that we were able to land in the end game."

Atlantis and its astronauts has enough fuel, water, air purifiers and other supplies to remain aloft until Wednesday, Cain said.

"The weather is a very tricky thing to deal with, it's not an exact science," Cain said. <