NASA checks shuttle for damage after lightning‎ strikes

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA is checking for any damage to space shuttle Atlantis or the launch pad after a lightning strike.

Atlantis is poised to blast off Friday on the very last shuttle flight. Thunderstorms, however, are threatening to keep the spaceship on the ground.

On Thursday, heavy rain and storms pelted the Florida launch site. Early in the afternoon, NASA reported a lightning strike within one-third of a mile (half a kilometre) of the pad. NASA says there are no immediate signs of damage, but technicians are checking the electrical systems.

The shuttle has yet to be fueled for its historic mission. And the four astronauts won't board until Friday.

Launch time on Friday is 11:26 a.m. (1526 GMT)

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  Space shuttle Atlantis is seen after the rotating service structure rolls away from the pad at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla., Thursday July 7, 2011. (AP / Gerry Broome)

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  The Vehicle Assembly Building is seen through a window during a downpour at the Kennedy Space Center Thursday, July 7, 2011, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP / David J. Phillip)

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  The space shuttle Atlantis is reflected in the water at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, July 6, 2011. (AP / Chris O'Meara)