• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

NASA holds out hope for July shuttle launch

Posted on: Monday, 18 July 2005, 20:42 CDT

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.

Source: REUTERS

More News in this Category