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.
More Weather News
-
Everest Death Toll 4 from Weekend Rush
May 23, 2012; 5:10 AM ET
Another Everest climber was found dead this morning, bringing the weekend death toll to four, with one climber still missing.
-
Still Rebuilding One Year After The Joplin, Mo., Tornado
May 23, 2012; 5:08 AM ET
Just one year ago, Joplin, Mo., was struck by a devastating mile-wide EF-5 tornado on May 22, 2011.
-
East Daily Downpours This Week
May 23, 2012; 5:05 AM ET
A stalled weather pattern will bring a daily dose of disruptive downpours from portions of the Carolinas to New England.
-
Bud Forms in the Eastern Pacific
May 23, 2012; 5:03 AM ET
The second tropical storm of the 2012 Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season has formed.
-
Pre-Season Tropical Storms Rare, But Not Unheard Of
May 23, 2012; 5:01 AM ET
Tropical Storm Alberto is only the third tropical storm to have formed prior to the official start of hurricane season in the past 31 years.
-
Record Flood on Amazon Tributary
May 23, 2012; 5:00 AM ET
The largest Amazon River tributary has marked its highest historical level following weeks of heavy rain in its catch basin, the AP has said.
-
Sanvu to Become First Pacific Typhoon in 2012
May 23, 2012; 4:58 AM ET
Sanvu, only the second western north Pacific tropical storm of 2012, is on track to become the first typhoon of the year.
-
Memorial Day Weekend Heat Wave
May 23, 2012; 4:55 AM ET
Break out the fans and air conditioners and get the pools ready as a heat wave is poised for portions of the Midwest and mid-Atlantic this Memorial Day weekend.
-
Breathtaking Video of Switzerland Landslide
May 23, 2012; 4:50 AM ET
A landslide has collapsed part of a steep mountainside in Switzerland.
-
Northern Italy Hit by Magnitude 6.0 Earthquake
May 23, 2012; 4:48 AM ET
The earthquake could be felt as far away as Milan and Venice.
Daily U.S. Extremes
past 24 hours
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| High | 113° | Death Valley, CA |
| Low | 30° | Bellemont, AZ |
| Precip | 9.70" | Miami, FL |
WeatherWhys®
A large, horrific tornado struck the city of Joplin, Mo., last year on this date. The twister cut a deadly path across the south side of the city, leaving over 159 dead and at least 1,150 injured. The Joplin tornado currently ranks as the 7th deadliest tornado in U.S. history.
This Day In Weather History
New Hampshire (1814)
A tornado crossed Merrimac, Litchfield, Londonderry and North Chester. The same storm produced hailstones that had an 11-inch circumference and weighed 1/2 pound.
Northeast (1989)
More rain in an already wet month. Monthly totals topped 11 inches at New York City, 9 inches at Bridgeport, Conn., and 8 inches at Baltimore (all three totals set records for May).
Rough Weather
Comments
Comments left here should adhere to the AccuWeather.com Community Guidelines. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.