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Test Glide of European Shuttle Phoenix Delayed
By Mattias Karen
Associated Press
posted: 02:45 pm ET
07 May 2004
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UntitledSTOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) -- The planned test glide of a European space shuttle prototype was postponed Friday while technicians analyzed data from a test flight earlier this week, a project spokeswoman said. The data analysis was to have been completed by Thursday but took longer than expected, said Johanna Bergstroem-Roos, of the North European Aerospace Test Range in Kiruna, 770 miles north of the capital, Stockholm. The EADS Phoenix will be carried to an altitude of 7,900 feet by a heavy-duty helicopter Saturday and then dropped so it can glide back to Earth. Bergstroem-Roos said no problems were discovered during last week's test flight, in which the reusable prototype was carried aloft by a helicopter for a systems check. But since Saturday's weather report called for clear skies, the technicians took more time to complete their analysis, she said. The Phoenix, along with the Ariane 5, represents the European Space Agency's hope for sending astronauts into space in the coming years. The prototype is just under 23 feet long, has a wingspan of 13 feet and weighs 2,640 pounds. It's one-sixth the size of the actual planned vehicle. EADS, or the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co., is the largest aerospace company in Europe.
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