Domino Effect To Schedule Impacts Future Missions

On Friday, NASA shuttle program managers announced February 7 as the target launch date for Atlantis' STS-122 mission to the International Space Station, and mid-March for the launch of Endeavour on STS-123 -- each date two months later than originally planned.

The first opportunity for liftoff of Atlantis from Kennedy Space Center will be at 1447 EST.

As ANN reported, Atlantis was scheduled to liftoff in early December on the latest construction mission to the ISS, but a malfunction in two of the four engine cut-off sensors inside the tank scrapped the launch -- as well as a second attempt four days later.

The sensors detect the level of liquid hydrogen in the fuel tank, to determine when to shut down the shuttle's three main engines. Failure of the sensors could shut the engines down too early, or, conversely, run them dry -- the latter a catastrophic scenario. An on-pad test of the fuel system revealed the likely cause of the glitch -- a connector that feeds wiring through the skin of the external tank, and mates up with the orbiter.

Engineers are now installing another connector, complete with newly-soldered pins and other modifications, in the tank on the launch pad. Technicians spliced in new wires Friday (shown below), NASA spokesman George Diller told The Associated Press, and the new connector will be installed Saturday.

To accommodate the revised launch schedule, NASA needed a little help from the Russian Federal Space Agency -- and they got it. Russia agreed to move up its Progress launch from February 7 to February 5, which enables both STS-122 and STS-123 to launch before the next Russian Soyuz mission in early April.

NASA says the new schedule will allow astronauts assigned to the space station's Expedition 16 crew to complete the tasks they have trained for, including support of the launch and docking of Jules Verne, the first European Space Agency Automated Transfer Vehicle.

Atlantis' main objective during its STS-122 mission to the station is to install and activate the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory, which will provide scientists around the world the ability to conduct a variety of experiments in life, physical, and materials science, Earth observation and solar physics.

Shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission will deliver Kibo, the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's laboratory module, and Dextre, Canada's new robotics system to the space station.

NASA managers will meet in the coming weeks to address the schedule of remaining shuttle flights beyond STS-123. NASA had aimed for six shuttle flights in 2007, though there are many questions whether the space agency will be able to accomplish that feat.

(Photos courtesy of NASA)

FMI: www.spaceflight.nasa.gov