Launch of the shuttle Endeavour was called off this evening because of hard-to-predict rain showers at an emergency runway near Moron, Spain. The launch team now is recycling for another launch attempt Saturday night at 7:49:47 p.m., weather permitting. Again, the launch window will last just five minutes and again, the weather in Spain is expected to be marginal at best.

"Unfortunately, we didn't get there with TAL (trans-Atlantic landing) weather tonight," launch director Michael Leinbach radioed shuttle commander James Wetherbee. "We did have a good vehicle ready for you and good local weather, but we need a TAL site in case we got into (a main engine failure) situation. So we're going to declare a scrub at this time, come back tomorrow night and try again. Hopefully, we'll have a good TAL site for you and a (good) vehicle. So I appreciate the effort tonight of your crew and our launch team, but we're just not going to make it."

"OK, thanks for trying and we'll try it tomorrow. Thanks," replied Weather from Endeavour's flight deck.

NASA managers plan to meet at 9:45 a.m. Saturday to assess the weather and to review Endeavour's readiness for fueling. The weather in Florida is predicted to be 95 percent "go" but if the European forecast remains bleak, mission managers could elect to delay launch again at that point to preserve launch opportunities Sunday and Monday.

Endeavour's countdown proceeded without any major problems today and the weather in Florida was near perfect, with no clouds and only light winds. But a main engine failure midway during the shuttle's climb to orbit could force a crew to attempt an emergency landing at one of two runways in Spain that are staffed by NASA. One - Moron - is near the southern tip of Spain while the other - Zaragoza - is 394 miles away to the northeast.

Going into the terminal count forecasters said Moron was solidly "no go" with rain, low clouds and turbulence expected while showers were forecast for Zaragoza. As launch time approached, however, the weather appeared worse at Zaragoza and flight controllers held out some hope conditions at Moron would improve enough to permit a liftoff.

But about 10 minutes before Endeavour's planned launch time of 8:15:30 p.m., flight director Wayne Hale in Houston told Leinbach forecasters with the Spacecould not get comfortable with the Moron weather, saying rain showers were in the area and that some had the potential to develop lightning. A few minutes later, the launch was scrubbed.

It was another frustrating disappointment for Endeavour's crew and for the outgoing crew of the international space station, which is looking for Endeavour for a ride home after more than 180 days in space.

Wetherbee, pilot Paul Lockhart, John Herrington, Michael Lopez-Alegria and the international space station's next crew, Expedition 6 commander Kenneth Bowersox, flight engineer Nikolai Budarin and science officer Donald Pettit were grounded Nov. 10, within hours of a launch try Nov. 11 because of an oxygen line leak.