NASA delays decision on space shuttle launch

By Irene Klotz

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) – NASA on Sunday clung to
plans for a Tuesday launch of space shuttle Atlantis even as it
prepared to scrub the liftoff and pull the ship indoors to ride
out approaching Tropical Storm Ernesto.

NASA had hoped to launch Atlantis on Sunday on the agency’s
first International Space Station assembly mission since the
2003 Columbia accident.

A lightning bolt that hit the launch pad on Friday,
however, prompted a two-day delay to make sure the shuttle and
its ground support systems were not damaged by the massive
strike.

Ernesto may make the whole effort moot. The storm, which
was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm as its
winds fell below 74 mph (119 kph) on Sunday evening, could
regain strength and make landfall on Thursday morning near
Tampa on Florida’s west coast, forecasters said.

NASA rules mandate that the shuttle be removed from its
seaside launch pad and returned to a cavernous assembly
building for safekeeping about two days prior to winds forecast
to reach speeds of at least 58 miles per hour (93-kph) .

A decision on whether or not to ground the shuttle had been
expected Sunday night. But LeRoy Cain, the senior shuttle
program manager at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, told
reporters the final decision on whether to proceed with
Tuesday’s launch attempt would be made by 7 a.m. EDT on Monday.

LAUNCH WINDOW

The storm would have to make a dramatic shift for NASA to
leave the shuttle on the launch pad. “There’s a general sense
that the path of this storm is about as certain as it can be,”
said Cain, referring to how Ernesto is taking aim at central
Florida.

As engineers scrutinized data for equipment problems from
the lightning strike, and eventually cleared Atlantis for a
return to flight late Sunday afternoon, NASA’s shuttle team
prepared to remove the winged spacecraft from the launch pad.

The shuttle’s crawler transporter was prepared to move to
the launch pad in case a decision was made to roll back
Atlantis. Launch pad workers also set up equipment to drain the
chemicals aboard the shuttle which are used during flight to
generate electricity.

If NASA has to remove Atlantis from the pad, it will be
hard-pressed to return in time for launch by September 7, the
last day when lighting conditions and other technical
considerations are acceptable for launch.

The next opportunity for flight would be in October.

The shuttle’s six astronauts are scheduled to spend 11 days
in orbit to deliver and install a 35,000-pound (16-tonne) power
module to the International Space Station.

It would be the first mission devoted to assembly of the
research outpost in nearly four years and follows a successful
mission of shuttle Discovery last month to assess safety
upgrades made after the February 2003 shuttle Columbia
disaster.

Columbia was hit by a piece of foam insulation that fell
off its fuel tank during launch. Damage from the impact
triggered the shuttle’s breakup as it flew through the
atmosphere. All seven astronauts aboard died.

The Atlantis mission is a critical part of NASA’s efforts
to finish building the space station before the shuttle fleet
is retired in 2010.