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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2009
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Atlantis Lands Safely in Calif.

Stormy Florida weather prompted NASA to go to Plan B

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(Newser) – With weather conditions in Florida remaining too soggy for a safe shuttle landing, Atlantis instead touched down at Edwards Air Force Base in California this morning. This was the 53rd west-coast landing for a space shuttle, a $2 million decision made easy by the balmy conditions in the Mojave Desert. Atlantis will make it back to Kennedy Space Center on the back of a modified 747.

Low clouds and a light rain fall over the Vehicle Assembly Building May 22, 2009 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. NASA moved the landing to sunny California.
Low clouds and a light rain fall over the Vehicle Assembly Building May 22, 2009 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. NASA moved the landing to sunny California.   (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
In this photo provided by NASA, crew members for the STS-125 mission pose for a photo following a news conference on the flight deck of Space Shuttle Atlantis Wednesday, May 20, 2009.
In this photo provided by NASA, crew members for the STS-125 mission pose for a photo following a news conference on the flight deck of Space Shuttle Atlantis Wednesday, May 20, 2009.   (AP Photo/NASA)
In this Feb. 20, 2008 file photo, the space shuttle Atlantis and its crew of seven land at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
In this Feb. 20, 2008 file photo, the space shuttle Atlantis and its crew of seven land at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.   (AP Photo/NASA, Bill Ingalls, File)
Atlantis comes in for a landing at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., at the conclusion of mission STS-125 to repair the Hubble telescope, Sunday, May 24, 2009.
Atlantis comes in for a landing at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., at the conclusion of mission STS-125 to repair the Hubble telescope, Sunday, May 24, 2009.   (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Seen through shimmering desert heat, the space shuttle Atlantis is framed by a pair of Joshua trees after it touched down at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Sunday, May 24, 2009.
Seen through shimmering desert heat, the space shuttle Atlantis is framed by a pair of Joshua trees after it touched down at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Sunday,...   (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
A NASA 747, modified to carry the Space Shuttle, is seen at sunrise at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Saturday, May 23, 2009.
A NASA 747, modified to carry the Space Shuttle, is seen at sunrise at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Saturday, May 23, 2009.   (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
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