No landings Monday for Discovery

HOUSTON, April 19 (UPI) -- U.S. space agency managers canceled both Monday landing opportunities for space shuttle Discovery because of unacceptable weather conditions in Florida.

The shuttle, returning from its next-to-last-flight to the International Space Station, was initially waved off a planned 8:48 a.m. EDT landing at the Kennedy Space Center because of overcast skies. The second attempt, scheduled at 10:23 a.m., was also scrubbed when conditions failed to improve.

Controllers in Houston, about 9 a.m. EDT, decided against any Monday deorbit burns and set the next landing opportunity at Kennedy for Tuesday on orbit 237, with a deorbit burn scheduled for 6:31 a.m. and landing at 7:23 a.m. Edwards Air Force Base in California was expected to be placed on standby for a possible Tuesday shuttle landing.

Only three scheduled missions remain before the space shuttle program ends. Discovery will make the final flight, scheduled Sept. 16. Space shuttle Atlantis is to make its final flight with a May 14 launch and Endeavour make its final trip to the ISS July 28.