Fresh off its successful mission to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope last week, the shuttle Atlantis had to cancel its second homecoming attempt on Saturday because of bad weather in Florida. The seven crew members on board Atlantis will have to wait at least one more day before making it back safely to Earth, but they can’t afford to wait too long — they only have enough fuel and supplies to last until Monday.
If the weather in Florida continues to be a problem, there is a backup plan: the shuttle could re-enter and land at Edwards Air Force Base in California’s Mojave desert. But diverting to California is definitely a last resort. Why? Because it would cost NASA an extra $1 Million to get the shuttle back to its home at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida!