Parkland's Space Shuttle Blake At Kennedy Space Center

Bob Boehmer, an art and science teacher in the , was keeping his fingers crossed over the weekend that the Space Shuttle Endeavour would launch today, May 2.

"The weather is great down here right now," he said in a phone interview on Saturday from Florida. "There's no rain in the forecast. If they get the mechanics fixed, we should have a launch."

But word came Sunday that the Endeavour, which was supposed to make its final launch on Friday, would not be making a launch today either. A posting on NASA's Facebook page blamed a power problem in a load control assembly box. The next launch will not be attempted until at least May 8.

"Yes, it's disappointing," said Boehmer, in reference to Friday's delay, even before learning the latest news. "However, it's something you kind of expect," given the complexities of a shuttle launch. 

He said those who come to the Kennedy Space Center meet people from all over the world. And if they get to see a launch, "then it's icing on the cake," he said.

Boehmer, who was with a crew from Parkland, is coordinator of the district's Space Shuttle Blake, a 4/10-scale replica of the Space Shuttle on the outside and a state-of-the-art classroom inside. NASA had invited the Blake shuttle to the Endeavour launch in recognition of its contribution to space exploration education, according to information provided by the Parkland School District.

More than 64,000 children across the Lehigh Valley have been served.

The Blake shuttle has ground-to-space communication capabilities, a space shuttle flight simulator, 12 networked multimedia computers and other hands-on learning centers.  As it left for the Kennedy Space Center in April via a Mack truck for the launch, Schnecksville elementary students, teachers and administrators provided a warm send-off.

Boehmer said the Blake, after arriving last week in Florida, had been set-up on the NASA causeway, about six miles from the launch site. After the initial delay, the Blake shuttle was moved to the Visitors Center. Boehmner said hundreds of people have so far passed through it, from Australia, China, Wales and elsewhere.

Boehmer's wife sent Patch photos of the Blake at the Kennedy Space Center. 

In one, Boehmer poses with former astronaut Jon McBride.