Discovery Lands Safely in Fla. Tuesday Morning
The Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely this morning at 9:08 a.m., local time, in Cape Canaveral, Fla., ending a 15 day mission in space.
NASA Mission Control delayed Tuesday morning's first scheduled landing for the Space Shuttle Discovery due to rain and fog around Cape Canaveral. The shuttle was set to land at 7:34 a.m. (EDT).
A prior bout of poor weather afforded astronauts aboard the Discovery an extra day in orbit on Monday after NASA was forced to scrub both of their scheduled early morning landings.
Other landing opportunities existed later on Tuesday morning both at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, and at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
The Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely Tuesday morning in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Image courtesy of NASA.
A loud sonic boom startled many people this morning as the Discovery flew along an unusual northwest to southeast path across the nation.
Many people reported hearing the sonic boom on Twitter. People in Little Rock, Ark. said it shook their homes and set off car alarms
The shuttle soared across the nation in under 30 minutes as it traveled faster than the speed of sound. Cities within range of hearing the sonic boom early this morning included: Minneapolis, Chicago, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Asheville, N.C.
If you were lucky enough to be under the shuttle's path, you actually heard two sonic booms. NASA states that one sonic boom is generated by the shuttle's nose; the other by its tail.
The Space Shuttle Discovery getting ready to land on Tuesday morning in Florida. Image courtesy of NASA.
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Daily U.S. Extremes
past 24 hours
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| High | 86° | Borrego Springs, CA |
| Low | -18° | Flag Island, MN |
| Precip | 1.60" | West Palm Beach, FL |
WeatherWhys®
The "Dead of Winter," the one-month period when normal temperatures reach their lowest levels, has come to an end for much of the United States. Some people may find it odd that the "Dead of Winter" does not encompass the darkest day of the year (the first day of winter). That is due to a seasonal lag in temperatures. More heat continues to be lost than is gained from the start of winter until this time of year.
This Day In Weather History
Washington, D.C. ()
1899 -15 F., all time record low (3rd day in a row at least -7 F.
Richmond, VA ()
1899 (llth-13th) 16.3" of snow, fourth biggest snowfall on record.
Rough Weather
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