NASA holds out hope for July shuttle launch

By Irene Klotz

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) – NASA outlined plans on
Monday for a space shuttle launch attempt next week if ongoing
efforts to find an elusive fuel sensor glitch are successful.

The sensor problem scuttled NASA’s original plan to launch
shuttle Discovery and seven astronauts last Wednesday on the
first mission since the 2003 Columbia accident. If the shuttle
cannot be launched by July 31, the mission will be delayed
until September.

“We’ve waited 2 1/2 years to be here,” shuttle program
manager Bill Parsons said at a news conference on Monday.
“We’re trying awfully hard to resolve this issue.”

Engineers plan two more days of circuitry, wiring and
electrical tests before managers consider refilling the
shuttle’s fuel tank with cryogenic propellants on July 26 in an
attempt to replicate a problem with the hydrogen sensor that
cropped up during a routine prelaunch test last week.

If the test of the fully fueled tank on July 26 is
successful, NASA could be in position to launch the shuttle on
its long-delayed mission to the space station beginning on July
27 and extending through July 31.

If the sensor problem is detected and corrected by the end
of this week, however, NASA is prepared to turn July 26 into
launch day.

“What we’re doing here today is opening the possibilities
and keep them open for as long as we can,” said orbiter
projects deputy manager Ed Mango.

Deputy shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said the chance
of a launch on July 26 was slim.

While shuttle launch delays are common, the glitch
preventing Discovery from taking off is receiving heightened
scrutiny because the shuttle will be the first to fly since
NASA grounded the fleet for safety upgrades after Columbia was
destroyed during a landing attempt on Feb. 1, 2003. All seven
astronauts on the shuttle died when the spacecraft
disintegrated over Texas.

Discovery is scheduled for a 12-day mission during which
its crew would test post-Columbia safety upgrades and deliver
supplies and equipment to the International Space Station.

Discovery’s seven astronauts, headed by commander Eileen
Collins, remained at the Kennedy Space Center following last
week’s launch delay. The astronauts planned to return to the
Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday to participate in a
training simulation and fly back to the Florida spaceport
Tuesday evening.