NASA Gives 'Go' for Space Shuttle Launch
- From: baalke@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:59:07 -0800 (PST)
Jan. 30, 2008
John Yembrick
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0602
john.yembrick-1@xxxxxxxx
Kyle Herring
Johnson Space Center. Houston
281-483-5111
kyle.j.herring@xxxxxxxx
RELEASE: 08-029
NASA GIVES 'GO' FOR SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH
WASHINGTON - NASA senior managers completed a review Wednesday of
space shuttle Atlantis' readiness for flight. Pending closure of an
issue with a shuttle radiator hose, the STS-122 mission will launch
Feb. 7 at 2:45 p.m. EST.
During an inspection of Atlantis Tuesday, one of four hoses that
carry
Freon to the shuttle radiators in the payload bay was found bent and
not properly retracted in its storage box. The others were fully
retracted into their storage boxes, as expected. Teams are continuing
to gather data and assess any potential forward work. Managers will
convene Saturday to further review and analyze what, if any,
remaining work is required before launch.
During the 11-day mission, Commander Steve Frick and his six
crewmates
will install the European Space Agency's new Columbus laboratory on
the International Space Station. Columbus will expand the research
facilities of the station and provide scientists around the world
with the ability to conduct a variety of life, physical and materials
science experiments. The mission will include three spacewalks,
delivery of a new crew member to the station and the return of
another astronaut after nearly four months aboard the complex.
Atlantis' launch date was announced at the conclusion of Wednesday's
executive-level Flight Readiness Review. The one-day video
teleconference meeting was led from NASA Headquarters in Washington.
Top NASA and contractor managers assessed any risks associated with
the mission and determined whether the shuttle's equipment, support
systems and procedures are ready for flight. The first
executive-level Flight Readiness Review for STS-122 was held Nov. 30.
The STS-122 mission was delayed in December 2007 after failures
occurred in a fuel sensor system while Atlantis' external fuel tank
was being filled. A tanking, or fueling, test on Dec. 18, 2007,
revealed that open circuits in the external tank's feed through
connector were the most likely cause of false readings in the system
during launch attempts on Dec. 6 and Dec. 9. A modified connector was
designed with pins and sockets soldered together. Both the original
and modified connector configurations were subjected to testing that
verified that the new design corrects the open circuits found in the
original connector.
The sensor system is one of several that protect the shuttle's main
engines by triggering their shut down if fuel runs unexpectedly low.
NASA's current Launch Commit Criteria require that three of the four
engine cutoff, or ECO, sensors function properly before liftoff from
the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Joining Commander Frick on STS-122 will be pilot Alan Poindexter and
mission specialists Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim, Stanley Love and
European Space Agency astronauts Hans Schlegel and Leopold Eyharts.
Eyharts will replace current station crew member Dan Tani, who has
lived on the outpost since October. Eyharts will return to Earth on
shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission, currently targeted for launch on
March 11, 2008.
For more information about the STS-122 mission, including images and
interviews with the crew, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
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