NASA has pushed back the date for
its first space shuttle launch since the Columbia tragedy, delaying the flight
one week to allow more time to complete much-needed paperwork and analyses, the
space agency said Wednesday.
The Discovery orbiter and its
STS-114 crew will launch no-earlier than May 22, shuttle program manager Bill
Parsons said during a teleconference with reporters.
Previously, NASA officials had set
the opening of Discovery's launch window at May 15.
"The May 15 launch date was just a
target and we always knew that we would have to revisit it," Parsons said,
adding that the shuttle will be launched when it is ready and not on a
deadline.
The decision to reschedule
Discovery's launch window was already under discussion going into the mission's
design certification review meeting Tuesday, shuttle officials said
"It was obvious that ... there was
still a certain amount of analysis that needed to be done, of paperwork that
needed to be done," Parsons said.
The launch delay will allow time for
NASA to complete a final debris verification review for Discovery's flight next
week and perform additional launch load analyses for the shuttle's new orbital
boom - a sensor-laden system that the STS-114 crew will use to scan their
protective thermal protection tiles for damage.
Parsons said the additional time
will also allow shuttle officials to deliver paperwork to the Stafford-Covey
Return to Flight Task Force, an independent panel evaluating the space agency's
launch preparations. The task force postponed a late-March meeting due to the
need for paperwork.
"We're hoping to present to them on
the 4th, 5th and 6th of May," he said, adding
that a flight readiness review meeting is scheduled for May 10.
A long effort
NASA has spent more than two years
redesigning orbiter components and developing new tools and procedures to
enhance space shuttle safety. Discovery's STS-114 mission, a test flight, is
NASA's first opportunity to shakedown those modifications.
Among those changes - and one reason
for Discovery's initial May 15 to June 3 launch window - is a flight rule
calling for a daylight launch and well-lit conditions external fuel tank
separation.
Discovery only has one, five-minute
period in which to lift off during each launch window day, though shuttle
officials are confident that they will step up to the task.
Wayne Hale, NASA's deputy shuttle
program manger, said that all of Discovery's lighting restrictions will be
aided by a new plan to reboost
the space station in its orbit.
"It's very fortunate that the
orbital mechanics worked out that way," Hale said of the station's reboost, during
which it will burn propellant. "It not only sets us up for the launch window,
but also prepares the station for a Progress cargo rendezvous in June."
There is also an option of extending Discovery's launch window by a few days should it be needed, though the lighting conditions will gradually get deteriorate after June 3, shuttle officials said.
"We just know that it is a possibility and that we could talk about," Parsons said, adding that currently the launch window cutoff is set at June 3.
More time for training
Discovery's launch delay will give
mission managers time to conduct one last simulation of the spaceflight and
help lighten some of the training requirements for the STS-114 crew.
"Their [training]
schedule was trending toward the higher side of what we allow," Hale said.
"Over the next few days the crew is going to take advantage of that extra time
and get rest for launch."
A rehearsal of Discovery's
launch countdown is slated for May 4.
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