Updated: Tue, Feb 20, 2001, 1:48 PM ET (1848 GMT)
Originally Posted: Tue, Feb 20, 2001, 11:40 AM ET (1640 GMT)
NASA shuttle managers decided Tuesday to land the shuttle Atlantis at Edwards Air Force Base in California after poor weather conditions persisted at the Kennedy Space Center. The 12:27 pm and 2:02 pm EST (1727 GMT and 1902 GMT) landing attempts at KSC were skipped by NASA after clouds rolled over the Florida coastline, violating safety guidelines. Weather conditions are said to be much better at Edwards, where a 3:33 pm EST (2033 GMT) landing is now scheduled. A second landing opportunity also exists at 5:09 pm EST (2209 GMT) at Edwards and 5:11 pm EST (2211 GMT) at White Sands, New Mexico, a backup site activated today in the event weather prohibited landings in Florida and California.

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