Bad weather jeopardizes to detain Atlantis launch
Ness CANAVERAL, Florida NASA fueled shuttle Atlantis for liftoff Thursday, gladdened over the winner of fuel gauge repairs but aware that bad weather could delay the missionary station to append another scientific discipline lab to the international space station.
The seven spacemen waved and afforded a thumbs-up as they headed to the launching pad and started out boarding the starship.
Forecasters told there was a 70 pct chance that rain, clouds and perchance even a wicked afternoon electrical storm would keep Atlantis on the tablet for up to now another twenty. The infinite shuttle already is twoed months late in presenting the European research laboratory, Columbus, to the infinite station.
Defective fuel gauges anchorred Atlantis in December. Engineers did work round the clock and through the vacations to furbish up the job, which off out to be a bad connection in the external fuel tank.
Their endeavours paid off. All four fuel gauges chequered out fine as the countdown entered its final few 60 minutes. NASA never got so far in the countdown in December, and the exhilaration was apparent in launch control.
“We have a good scheme and we’re ready to go fly,” told launch manager Doug Lyons. “Everything looks real good out there.”
Even NASA’s usually emotion-free boss, Michael Griffin, was enthusiastic. He informated he was sure Atlantis’ fuel gauges would keep to do work properly and called no farther problems with the scheme.
The fuel gauges are part of a vital safety scheme to aid ensure that the main locomotive engines do non run on an out of the blue empty tank during the 8 1/2-minute climb to revolve. They have executed erratically during countdowns for well three geezerhood and put off several launches.
As for the weather, “We’re still talk what, 60, 70 pct probability of no-go. But it doesn’t look excessively bad,” Griffon said, pull aside blinds and seeming out a windowpane at the nebulose sky. “We’ve set up on years when we articulated we couldn’t and we’ve scrubbed on years when everybody idea we could.”
Columbus — a USD 2 000 000 000 high-tech science lab — is the European Space Agency’s primary share to the infinite station. In the fashioning for 23 eld, the research laboratory has abode station redesignss and retardations, as well as a figure of shuttlecock postponements and two shuttle strokes.
It will join the U.S. science laboratory, Destiny, already flying for seven age. The much larger Japanese science lab Kibo, or Hope, will need three shuttle flights to acquire off the anchorred, beginning in March.
The Europeans likewise are on the brink of introduction their new payload ship, Jules Verne. It’s scheduled to blare off from French Guiana in early March.
“There’s moving to be a muckle of pridefulness, a mickle of citizenry with good feeling in their stomachs, when these thing go up,” expressed Europe’s space station program managing director, Alan Thirkettle.
The European Space Agency already has passed more than USD 7 000 000 000 on the place program and plans to put another USD 6 000 000 000 by 2015, Thirkettle emphasised.
Besides Columbus, Atlantis will drop off a new space station resident, a French Air Force general who will take the spot of NASA cosmonaut Daniel Tani and get Columbus doing work. Tani will return to Earth on board the bird, ending a foreign mission of about four calendar months.
NASA is anxioused to acquire Atlantis winging as presently as possible to hold alive its plan for six shuttle missionary posts this twelvemonth. The infinite agency faces a 2010 deadline for finish the place and unassuming the birds.
All AboutSpace Shuttle Atlantis Space Technology