But Not Before Possible Bolt Replacement

This sounds familiar... despite some looming concerns over a critical system onboard the orbiter, NASA has cleared the shuttle Atlantis for liftoff following a two day flight readiness review.

"We set the launch date for the 27th [of August]; I think it's around 4:30 in the afternoon, so we're ready to go for that," William H. Gerstenmaier, the associate administrator for space operations, told reporters at Cape Canaveral Wednesday.

As was the case with the July 4 launch of the shuttle Discovery, however, the clearance does not come without some concern.

With Discovery, it was due to lingering questions over the troublesome foam insulation covering the shuttle's external fuel tank; while on Atlantis, scientists are concerned with the safety of a series of bolts holding a communications antenna support box in the shuttle's payload bay.

As Aero-News reported earlier this week, should the bolts fail during launch, the antenna could be sent hurtling through the bay... causing potentially disasterous results.

Whereas Discovery launched in spite of concerns voiced by two engineers (concerns that, thankfully, proved to be nonissues)... this time, Program Manager Wayne Hale says, NASA is not going to take chances.

"One way or the other, we're not going to have a problem with the antenna," Hale said, telling Reuters the bolts will probably need to be replaced -- in a complicated repair effort at the launch pad.

Atlantis is scheduled to be the first shuttle flight to resume construction of the International Space Station since the  2003 Columbia tragedy. The mission was cleared following the nearly problem-free launch of Discovery over one month ago.

FMI: www.nasa.gov