A severe thunderstorm struck the Kennedy Space Center, delaying plans to roll back the protective rotating service structure that was due to begin at 7 p.m.
The panoramic photo below was created with Microsoft’s Photosynth app for the iPhone. You will need the free Microsoft Silverlight player installed to view it. The photo was compiled using the Microsoft Photosynth application on an iPhone 4. The black triangle object in the sky is simply a spot we missed before stepping onto a bus for safety from dozens of lightning strikes in the area. NASA issued a lightning warning as the storm approached.
The storm passed over the launch area and the RSS retraction was conducted late Thursday evening. As of Friday morning, the launch remained on-schedule for 3:30 p.m.