CAPE CANAVERAL - A
six-month slip in NASA's next shuttle mission, coupled with hurricane damage to
its external tank factory in New Orleans, is prompting the agency to move a lot
of hardware around Kennedy Space Center.
The orbiter Atlantis was
hoisted off a mobile launcher platform in the KSC Vehicle Assembly Building on Friday, the first step in taking apart a fully assembled shuttle.
The spaceship -- which will
be moved back to its processing hangar Tuesday -- was connected to a 15-story
external tank with attached solid rocket boosters. Technicians will begin
disassembling the tank-booster set next week.
"We don't want the
shuttle to stay stacked because we won't be launching until next year,"
said KSC spokeswoman Jessica Rye.
Shuttle external tanks will
all undergo modifications to prevent shedding of foam insulation in flight. The
2003 Columbia accident was caused by breakaway foam, and a large piece of
insulation fell off Discovery's tank during NASA'sfirst post-Columbia launch in
late July.
Atlantis' segmented
boosters will be taken apart because they would have been stacked for 12 months
in December, exceeding a time limit. A new set will be built up and the old
segments will be shipped back to their Utah manufacturer.
The external tank for
NASA's next mission -- which is tentatively set for launch next March but faces
further delays -- arrived back at KSC on Friday.
The barge carrying it was
headed back to a tank manufacturing plant in New Orleans but reversed course to
avoid Hurricane Katrina, which seriously damaged the factory.
Designated ET-119, the tank
will be offloaded from the covered barge Wednesday and then moved into the
52-story assembly building. NASA is examining the possibility of doing tank
repair and modification work at KSC because the New Orleans factory could be
closed for months.
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NASA
Considers Fixing Shuttle Fuel Tanks at KSC
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