Cape Canaveral (Florida) : The US space agency was unaware that the shuttle Endeavour's final mission to the International Space Station was in conflict with the royal wedding, a NASA chief has said.
"The frank answer is no," said Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for space operations yesterday, when asked by a reporter if the nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton were a factor in the shuttle scheduling.
"I didn't realise when the wedding was when we moved the launch date," said Gerstenmaier. The shuttle was initially set to launch on April 19 and was later postponed to April 29.
"We kind of set that date independently."
Gerstenmaier said he received a phone call from someone notifying him of the crossover after the fact, though he did not elaborate on who made that call. PTI - AFP
