 | So This is the Culprit December 28, 2007 at 10:44am in science |
NASA has pretty much scrubbed the January 10th launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis while they try to fix the Engine Cut Off (ECO) Sensors on board the fuel tank. No new launch date has been set as NASA wants to ensure they fix the problem before they attempt a launch, and rightfully so. Earlier this month, two straight launch attempts were scrubbed because 2 of the sensors (as shown in the picture above) gave false readings in a test prior to launch. These sensors control and trigger when the shuttle's main engines cut off approximately 8 minutes and 40 seconds into the launch. Their design is to trigger that the fuel tank is empty so the engines don't try to keep firing on an empty tank. If they were to do so, the result would cause severe, if not catastrophic damage to the orbiter. Each tank has four sensors and only one needs to be functional in order for the engines to properly shut off, but NASA is unwilling to risk it. The good news is that from diagnostics and testing, the problem does not seem to be the sensors themselves, but rather the wiring and connections related to them. All repairs needed to get Atlantis spacebound should be able to be done on the pad, so that will save them from having to roll Atlantis back to the Vehicle Assembly Building. NASA Shuttle Director Wayne Hale is unsure of when the new launch date will be announced and will set the date when the problem is resolved. As it should be, the 2008 launch schedule is not going to influence the decision on when Atlantis is truly ready to launch, it could be days or weeks past the scrubbed January 10th launch date, all depending on how well the repairs go. NASA has an ambitious 6 launches planned for 2008, so if they can indeed fix the problem fast enough, the schedule should not be affected too much. On another not, Atlantis' final scheduled mission, STS-125 scheduled for August 2008, will be the final Non-ISS mission of the Space Shuttle Fleet as it will be heading up to fix and service the Hubble Telescope. It's also interesting to note that since the Shuttle's return to flight, Atlantis has never launched on time (excluding weather delays and the normal stuff). STS-115 in August/September 2006 (Atlantis' first flight after Columbia) was delayed almost 2 weeks because of a Hurricane. They unloaded the cargo and started to roll it back to the VAB for protection. Halfway back, when the Hurricane lowered to a tropical storm, they did end up reversing course and sending Atlantis back to the pad, but NASA then had to re-prepare Atlantis all over again. STS-117 scheduled for a March 2007 launch had its fuel tank damaged by hail in late February causing a 3 and a half month delay. It's third launch, this one, STS-122 now has this ECO Sensor issue further delaying its launch. NASA Scrubs January Shuttle Launch [msnbc.com] Tags: nasa, spaceshuttle, atlantis, sts122, news |
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| U.S. Urged to Keep Shuttles Flying Past 2010 December 17, 2007 at 6:24pm in science |
A United States Representative is proposing that NASA keep the shuttle fleet flying past its scheduled 2010 retirement date. After the Columbia tragedy back in 2003, the review board recommended that the shuttle fleet be retired in 2010 unless the fleet was re-certified. Being that the shuttle fleet is getting old, this recommendation did not seem too out of place. Two proposals, one would see the Space Shuttles flying until 2013 cutting the gap between the STS program and the Orion program, and the second would see the Space Shuttles flying until 2015 when the first manned Orion missions are scheduled to be launched. NASA currently has an exemption until 2011 allowing them to purchase Russian Soyuz Rockets despite the ban on the purchasing of Soyuz rockets designed to slow Iran from nuclear weapons technology, since Russia is accused of helping Iran in such endeavors. NASA's second option, should the shuttle fleet be retired would fall on the private sector, but the private sector doesn't yet seem ready for the task. Keeping the shuttle fleet flying past 2010 could be counterproductive though as NASA administrator Michael Griffin said last month:
"Flying the space shuttle past 2010 would carry significant risks, particularly to our efforts to build and purchase new transportation systems that are less complex, less expensive to operate, and better suited to serving both (the space station) and exploration missions to the moon, Mars and beyond"
The argument could also be made that NASA and the US should keep their presence in space, and a few more years with the shuttle could help do just that. I would like to see the shuttle go past 2010, it is, despite its downfalls, a very capable machine and its already proven itself to be quite robust in its capabilities. Only time will tell if congress will give NASA the money it needs to either bring the timetable for Orion forward, or extend the life of the shuttles. U.S. urged to keep space shuttle flying past 2010 [news.yahoo.com] Tags: nasa, shuttle, spaceshuttle, news, links |
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| Profile of All NASA Rockets Launching Humans into Space December 17, 2007 at 8:27am in science |
I created this to show the 6 vehicles NASA has made thus far launching humans into space. From Left to Right:
Tags: space, nasa, spaceflight |
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| NASA Delays Atlantis Launch til January December 10, 2007 at 6:55am in science |
NASA delayed the launch of STS-122 Atlantis until January 2, 2008 as a fuel sensor in the external fuel tank showed the same glitch that prompted the initial delay on Thursday. This type glitch had previously been seen on STS-114 back in July 2005 for Discovery's first return to flight mission following the Columbia Tragedy in 2003. NASA has 3 primary reasons for doing this. The first is obviously the glitch, if the sensors report that the tank is full when it is really empty, the Shuttle's 3 main engines won't cut off and could result in massive damage to the orbiter which would obviously cause major problems. The second is that they want the solar wings of the International Space Station to be generating optimal power while Atlantis is docked. If they launch now, that won't happen. The third reason is the New Years Bug. Apparently the Space Shuttle computers can't properly handle the switch in years from December 31 to January 1. NASA was worried last year about Discovery's STS-116 mission, but they were able to launch and land prior to Christmas so it all worked out. NASA has a fix for it, but they'd rather not use it if they can avoid it. This bit of bad news comes after NASA successfully launched 3 Space Shuttle missions in 2007, so while it may be a sour note that they can't get the 4th launch in, they at least have something good they can look back on. Tags: space, news, nasa, astronomy, spaceshuttle |
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| NASA Tracking Air Leak in International Space Station November 29, 2007 at 7:45am in science |
SPACE.COM reports that NASA is investigating a minor air leak on board the International Space Station. This leak appears to be minor and is little risk to the crew or the upcoming STS-122 mission to be launched early December. NASA is having astronauts inspecting the seals beteern the Destiny Lab and the Harmony Modules as well as the seal between the Harmony Module and the Shuttle Docking Port. The good news is that the tests checking the internal pressure of the ISS are showing no signs of decay. NASA hopes to have this issue resolved although no one on the ground or on the ISS seems to be overly concerned showing seemingly that this possible leak really does show no signs of being a major risk. NASA Tracks Possible Space Station Leak [Space.com] |
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