Space Shuttle Landing Delayed

H O U S T O N, Feb. 19 -- High winds continue to delay landing for space shuttle Atlantis.

Mission Control told the crew to "wave off" landing in Florida today. The crew will make another attempt to land Tuesday, NASA said.

Winds at the 3-mile-long runway were higher than 20miles per hour — well in excess of flight safety rules.

Weather is also forecast to be poor at the alternate landingsite in California. And flight controllers were concerned that rain south of theKennedy Space Center might move into the area. "Crosswinds though are the biggest threat. We're going to beevaluating them still. We hope to see an improving trend and havesome positive chances to get you down today," Mission Control toldshuttle commander Kenneth Cockrell.

Up For Long Haul

Astronauts have been conserving air, power, and water — and canstay in space until at least Wednesday if need be. Similarconditions Sunday forced NASA to extend the mission a 12th day.

"The rest of the crew wanted me to pass on that I already havethe endurance record. So there's no need to try for that thistime," Cockrell jokingly said, referring to his last missionin November 1996, which was the longest shuttle flight in historyat 18 days. Atlantis astronaut Thomas Jones was also on thatmission.

During their mission at space station Alpha, the five astronautsmounted and installed the orbiting complex's most expensive piece —the $1.4 billion Destiny laboratory.

The astronauts went on three spacewalks to make all thenecessary laboratory connections and equip the space station with aspare radio antenna, a window shutter and other gear.

The three men living aboard Alpha were in charge of setting upall the equipment inside the lab module. They will spend the nextthree weeks organizing the laboratory and getting ready for theirown trip home next month when space shuttle Discovery deliverstheir replacements.