Peeb2005..this also seems reasonable. Maybe in this scenario Edwards would be allowed to commence other operations so long as Kennedy weather could be relied upon to remain stable for some duration of time that would allow time for suspension of Edwards operations if an emergency developed and Kennedy weather was forcasted to deteriorate. In other words, once in orbit there is time to evaluate other options that could work around activities at Edwards. Of course, come landing time, then all bets are off. This then becomes a function of the duration and flexibility of the strat testing regimen as to whether they must wait until the end of the mission. However, apparently it was determined that if strat testing started the last week of August, than there would have been time and logistics to conduct tests while the shuttle was in orbit.