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ISS Robot Arm Problem Delays STS-111 Launch
By Jim Banke
Senior Producer, Cape Canaveral Bureau
posted: 09:35 am ET
22 March 2002
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iss_robot_arm_020322 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A recently discovered problem with the International Space Station's robot arm has pushed back the launch of shuttle mission STS-111 to the International Space Station from May 6 to May 31. The technical difficulty could also pose a risk to the on-time launch of the next shuttle scheduled to fly April 4. One of seven joints on the Canadian-built arm isn't working properly, but a change to the computer software used to control the arm should temporarily take care of the problem for the upcoming April 4 mission with Atlantis, said Mike Suffredini, a NASA station manager. But because future missions to the station will heavily rely on the Canadarm2 for continuing the outpost's assembly, program officials want to permanently fix the arm by launching a replacement joint and sending two astronauts out on a spacewalk to install the hardware. NASA on Friday officially approved adding that work to the mission, which was originally scheduled for May 6. Meanwhile, launch of Atlantis on April 4 still isn't a sure thing, although officials are optimistic they will complete all the work they need to do to get the new robot arm software delivered, tested and sent up to the station within the next two weeks. Suffredini said the software patch is to be delivered to Mission Control in Houston from Canada some time next week, uplinked to the space station on March 29 and then tested by the Expedition Four crew using the Canadarm2 on April 1. "Based on the preliminary testing of the patch to date we believe that will all go successfully," Suffredini said, but "today we hold that as a constraint to launch."
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