Shuttle External Tank Damaged By Hailstorm – Launch Delayed A Month
Hail Damage To Space Shuttle Causes NASA To Delay Launch, SpaceRef
“A hail storm at NASA Kennedy Space Center has damaged the external tank attached to Space Shuttle Atlantis. The damage is severe enough to cause the launch of Atlantis to be delayed at least one month – perhaps longer. According to Space Shuttle program manager Wayne Hale, a severe, localized thunderstorm developed over NASA Kennedy Space Center yesterday. The storm was rather intense and dropped a lot of golf ball sized hail on the launch pads. That hail was driven by 62 mph gusts.”