Storms force Nasa to postpone shuttle launch

Thunderstorms forced Nasa to call off space shuttle Discovery’s launch today.

The storms popped up all around the Cape Canaveral launch site, and lightning lit up the sky.

A lightning strike was reported just five miles from the pad, in fact, and then it started to pour.

The storms finally eased, but not fast enough.

Launch director Pete Nickolenko waited as long as he could before halting the countdown to the liftoff.

Nasa will try again early tomorrow to send Discovery and seven astronauts to the international space station. The shuttle is loaded with supplies, including a new treadmill named after TV comedian Stephen Colbert.

Colbert said in a recorded message that he said he couldn’t be prouder to have a treadmill named after him that will “slim down all those chubby astronauts”.