Senior NASA managers will meet today to discuss potential courses of action for shuttle Atlantis, but it's unclear whether a new target launch date might be set.
Atlantis and seven astronauts are tentatively scheduled to blast off Jan. 10 on a mission to deliver the European Columbus science laboratory to the International Space Station.
The launch had been slated for earlier this month but was postponed after apparent problems cropped up with low-level fuel sensors in the shuttle's external tank.
Engineers now think the problem lies within electrical connectors that are attached together by a feed-through plug in the wall of the external tank. Technicians last weekend removed foam insulation surrounding a connector on the outside of the tank, exposing the feed-through plug.
Kyle Herring, a spokesman for NASA's Johnson Space Center, said engineers would update managers on potential courses of action during a meeting that is slated to begin at 10 a.m. EST.
One option would be to try to repair the connectors at the launch pad. However, if engineers determine that a connector inside the tank must be replaced, then Atlantis likely would have to be rolled back to the Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building to do the work.
Herring said managers might decide on a go-forward plan at the meeting. It's unclear whether any action will be taken in regard to the Jan. 10 target date.
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