Windy weather forces delay for NASA moonshot

Bad weather forced NASA to delay Thursday's launch of two new lunar probes that are designed to make detailed studies of the inside of the moon and its gravitational field.

Windy conditions thwarted the day's two launch opportunities, so the agency will have to wait until Friday to try again.

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NASA's twin Grail spacecraft were scheduled to blast off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on an unmanned Delta 2 rocket at 8:37 a.m. ET, but upper-level winds in the area caused the agency to stand down.

A second launch opportunity was available at 9:16 a.m. ET, but weather conditions did not improve, which forced NASA to hold off until Friday. Current predictions do not show significant weather improvements until the weekend. [Photos of NASA's Grail Moon Gravity Mission]

Friday's first launch opportunity opens at 8:33 a.m. ET, with a second window available at 9:12 a.m. ET.

In addition to the threat of rain and thunderstorms, wind levels are monitored because they affect how rockets fly through Earth's upper atmosphere on their way into orbit. As a result, NASA sets limits on acceptable weather conditions to minimize any potential danger.

NASA has a 42-day window to launch the Grail spacecraft, extending through Oct. 19.

The $496 million Grail mission will study the lunar interior from crust to core, and will map the moon's gravitational field in unprecedented detail. The three-month expedition is expected to help scientists better understand the composition and evolutionary history of Earth's natural satellite. [Video: Grail's Mission to Map Moon Gravity]

Observations from the twin Grail probes are also expected to shed light on how other large, rocky bodies in the inner solar system formed.

You can follow Space.com staff writer Denise Chow on Twitter @denisechow. Follow Space.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44437786/ns/technology_and_science-space/

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