A United Space Alliance technician cuts away foam insulation on the covers over the feed-through connector box on the external tank for space shuttle Atlantis, revealing the fastener holes. The covers will be removed for access to the feed-through connectors. NASA photo.
By the end of the weekend, foam will be removed from around a suspect feed-through connector near a strut on the aft of Atlantis' external tank. Diagnostic tests Tuesday indicated the connector caused intermittent low-fuel sensor readings that scrubbed launch attempts on Dec. 6 and 9.
NASA managers will meet Dec. 27 to plan the repairs. Options range from repairing the connector at the pad to rolling back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for extensive investigation and repair.
Mating the external tank and solid rocket boosters in the VAB for the next mission has been postponed.
Atlantis is set to launch no earlier than Jan. 10.
Illustration of feed-through electrical connections at the external tank liquid hydrogen tank structural interface, near the aft end of the tank. Click on photo for a larger view.
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