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NASA sets return-to-flight procedures

Posted on: Tuesday, 9 September 2003, 06:00 CDT

NASA sets return-to-flight procedures

Astronauts would inspect ship, practice repair techniques on first test mission

By MARCIA DUNN Associated Press

Tuesday, September 9, 2003

Houston -- NASA said Monday that when shuttle launches resume sometime next year, the first mission would be a test flight reminiscent of the early days of the space program, with astronauts inspecting their ship and practicing repair techniques to guard against another Columbia-type disaster.

The space agency considered flying a minimum number of astronauts and keeping the mission as short as possible. But NASA decided to go with a full complement of six or seven astronauts on a mission of about a week and a half in order to accomplish some repair work at the International Space Station.

"If we're going to go through all this risk to get there and do that, we ought to go ahead and make sure that we do some of those things that are important to the International Space Station because if we don't do those things, it raises the risk of the station," said Bill Parsons, the new shuttle program manager.

No firm launch date has been set for the next shuttle, Atlantis. But in all likelihood, it will not deliver a fresh crew to the space station as originally intended.

Instead, the focus will be on inspecting the shuttle for exterior damage, using cameras on both the shuttle and space station, and practicing repair techniques.

Other objectives, like delivering supplies to the space station, will take a back seat, said William Readdy, a former shuttle commander who is now NASA's top spaceflight official.

NASA has yet to settle on all the details of an emergency rescue plan.

In a 156-page return-to-flight document issued Monday, the space agency said it is looking at using the space station as an emergency shelter for stranded shuttle astronauts and considering having another spacecraft ready to blast off on a rescue mission.

"Our first line of defense is: Don't have any debris come off and strike the shuttle. The second line is to have inspection techniques and repair capabilities so we can come home safely," Parsons said.

The release of NASA's initial return-to-flight plan comes two weeks after the Columbia Accident Investigation Board concluded that a stray piece of insulating foam and a broken safety culture were responsible for the shuttle's destruction on Feb. 1. All seven astronauts, including former Racine resident Laurel Clark, were killed.

Readdy stressed that the plan is "a living document" that would evolve in the coming weeks and months.

He and other NASA leaders will meet this week in Houston with members of an independent task force put in place to make sure the agency fulfills all of the investigation board's recommendations.

Some NASA officials have talked about resuming shuttle flights as early as March, but most of them have said privately that next summer would be more realistic.

Atlantis will be launched in daylight to ensure good camera views of the foam insulation on the external fuel tank and any debris hitting the spaceship. Readdy said shuttles would be restricted to daylight liftoffs for the foreseeable future.

The biggest challenge, NASA officials said, will be to come up with a repair for the vulnerable carbon panels that protect the leading edges of the shuttle wings.

The NASA officials said they did not know yet how much all the extra work and improvements would cost.

On the Net: NASA: www.nasa.gov

KEY POINTS

In a long return-to-flight document issued Monday, NASA reported:

-- Considering using the space station as an emergency shelter for stranded shuttle astronauts

-- Considering having another spacecraft ready to blast off on a rescue mission

-- During next shuttle mission, having astronauts inspect their ship and practice repair techniques

-- Restricting missions to daylight liftoffs for the foreseeable future

Source: Associated Press

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