A swarm of
NASA shuttle managers,
engineers and contractors have descended on the agency's Florida spaceport for
a two-day meeting to decide whether the Atlantis orbiter is fit to launch six
astronauts spaceward on Aug. 27.
Among the
many items to be discussed during the meeting is whether engineers need to
replace a set of four bolts connecting Atlantis' primary data and video antenna
to the upper right side of the orbiter's payload bay.
"I know they're
going to present it and we're going to lay out a plan on what the work would take,"
said NASA spokesperson Bruce Buckingham, of the agency's Kennedy Space Center (KSC)
where the meeting is underway, adding that it's still far from final whether additional
work will be required at the shuttle's launch pad.
The four bolts
latching Atlantis' antenna dish in place are shorter than those stipulated in
engineering specifications, but have flown on all 26 of the shuttle's spaceflights.
Engineers have expressed some concern that the bolts could shake loose during
launch, which could send the antenna plunging down the length of Atlantis'
60-foot (18-meter) payload bay and cause serious damage to the orbiter.
"If we did decide
to go do the work, it could in all likelihood not affect our launch date,"
Buckingham said.
Atlantis is
slated
to launch from KSC's Pad 39B
site no earlier than 4:30 p.m. EDT (1030 GMT) on Aug. 27 to begin an 11-day
mission to the International
Space Station (ISS).
Its STS-115
mission, commanded by veteran shuttle astronaut Brent
Jett, will deliver a new
solar array and pair of truss segments to the orbital laboratory.
But first
Atlantis must pass muster before teams of safety engineers and top shuttle
officials during a standard pre-launch meeting known as the Flight Readiness
Review.
Buckingham
said that between 200 and 300 shuttle officials, engineers and contractors began
discussing Atlantis' flight readiness at about 8:00 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT) today. Talks
are expected to stretch on through Wednesday, with a final launch target to be
announced that afternoon.
NASA
will broadcast the results of Atlantis' STS-115 Flight Readiness Review meeting
live on NASA
TV no earlier than 2:00 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT). You are invited to follow the briefing
using SPACE.com's
NASA TV feed, which is available by clicking
here.
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