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Space Shuttle Launch Delays

by Irene Klotz
 

Bad Bird

Woodpecker damaging the space shuttle fuel tank
Holes bored by woodpeckers in fuel tank foam of the space shuttle prompted a launch delay in 1995.
 

When NASA announces a shuttle launch date, it's greeted with a fair bit of skepticism -- and with good reason. Only about 25 percent of shuttle missions begin on the day and time NASA targets, mostly because of Florida's fickle weather and technical issues with the shuttle or launch pad. However, some launch postponements have more esoteric origins. Here are our favorites:

10. Woodpeckers
Woodpeckers drill more than 200 holes in the insulating foam covering the shuttle's fuel tank. NASA repairs the spaceship and plants owl decoys and balloons painted with pictures of predators' eyes to keep the pesky 'peckers at bay.

9. Hail Storms
A freak hail storm drops golf-ball sized chunks of ice directly over the launch pad where a space shuttle is being prepared for launch. Damage is so extensive, the shuttle is moved back to the processing hangar for repairs.

8. Hurricanes
Hurricane Erin. Tropical Storm Klaus. Hurricane Bertha. Hurricane Fran. Tropical Storm Ernesto. You get the idea.

7. Lightning
Apparently lightning does strike twice, at least at the Kennedy Space Center's shuttle launch pads, which have taken more than their fair share of hits over the years. The towers are protected, but making sure the shuttle's electronics weren't scrambled by strikes prompted a delay in August 2006.

6. Illness
A classified mission for the Department of Defense is held up when the commander John Creighton comes down with the flu. At least he gets to fly: In the Apollo days, when the crews had backups, NASA pulled Ken Mattingly from a flight to the moon due to concerns about his exposure to German measles. (Turns out he didn't have them.)
 
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