WASHINGTON - NASA is now targeting Jan. 10 for
the liftoff of the space shuttle Atlantis pending the resolution of fuel tank
sensor issues that prevented two launch attempts this month, the space agency
said Thursday.
The new
launch date, an eight-day slip from an earlier Jan. 2 target, will allow NASA
engineers and astronauts some much deserved time off during the holidays while
the agency hunts down the source of a recurring shuttle
fuel tank sensor glitch.
"The
workforce has stepped up to and met every challenge this year," said Wayne
Hale, NASA's space shuttle program manager, in a written statement. "Moving the
next launch attempt of Atlantis to Jan. 10 will allow as many people as
possible to have time with family and friends at the time of year when it means
the most."
NASA
attempted to launch Atlantis'
STS-122 mission twice, on Dec. 6 and Dec. 9, respectively, to haul a new
European-built laboratory to the International Space Station (ISS). But the
failure of fuel gauge-like sensors inside the shuttle's external tank foiled
the agency's efforts.
Known as engine
cutoff sensors, the devices are designed as a backup system to monitor the
levels of super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellant in Atlantis'
15-story external tank and shut down the orbiter's three main engines before
fuel runs out.
Sensors in
the liquid hydrogen portion of Atlantis' external tank failed standard
countdown tests during both launch attempts this month. Similar glitches have
afflicted NASA shuttle launches since the agency resumed shuttle flights in
2005 following the Columbia tragedy.
NASA flight
rules require at least three of four sensors in each propellant tank to work
properly in order to proceed with a shuttle launch. If a shuttle's engines fire
without propellant, they could rip apart and cause catastrophic damage, NASA
has said.
When two
liquid hydrogen sensors failed during the Dec. 6 launch countdown, mission
managers called off the space shot and tightened their rules to require all
four sensors to work perfectly for the Dec. 9 attempt. One sensor malfunctioned
during the second try, prompting the delay to early January.
Shuttle
engineers plan to refuel Atlantis'
external tank on Tuesday to conduct more tests in hopes of pinning down the
malfunction.
Commanded
by veteran shuttle astronaut Stephen Frick, Atlantis' seven-astronaut crew are
charged with delivering the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory to the
ISS during what would have been the fourth shuttle mission of 2007 had it
launched this month.
Atlantis is
now slated to launch no earlier than 2:26:10 a.m. EST (0726:10 GMT) on Jan. 10
to begin a planned 11-day mission to the ISS. Landing is targeted for late
evening on Jan. 20, NASA officials said.
With the
flight's delay to January, NASA now plans to launch up to six shuttle flights
in 2008. The shuttle Endeavour is slated to launch on Feb. 14 to haul the first
segment of Japan's
three-piece Kibo laboratory to the ISS.
"A lot has
been asked of them this year and a lot will be asked of them in 2008,"
Hale said of NASA's shuttle teams.
advertisement
