Foam repair on track, despite weather delay

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Rain and wind during the weekend caused slowdowns in pouring and shaping foam over the pass-through connector on Atlantis' external tank. Nevertheless, the work is on schedule to be finished by Friday.

"We're still on track even with the bad weather over the weekend," said Kennedy Space Center spokesman Allard Beutel.

After Friday, processing the shuttle toward a Feb. 7 launch will begin.

Technicians trimmed foam today in preparation to apply a smooth coating to the surface. Diagnostic tests indicated that a faulty connector, which was replaced, caused intermittent signals from low-fuel sensors in the bottom of the external tank. The problem caused launch attempts to be scrubbed on Dec. 6 and 9.

After a two-month delay, Atlantis is expected to launch on a mission to deliver the European Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station.














On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a technicians last week completed installing the cover over the pass-through connector and wiring on space shuttle Atlantis' external tank. Shaping and trimming foam over the connector is being performed today.