Cmdr. sure of sensor fix; Clock starts at 5 p.m.

Crew arrives for 2:45 p.m. Thursday launch.

Speaking shortly after arrival at Kennedy Space Center, Atlantis' Commander Steve Frick said he did not mind the two-month wait since two scrubbed launch attempts in December.

"I was very happy with the way things went. The ECO-sensor problem has been nagging us for quite a long time," said Frick.

Intermittent signals from the Engine Cut Off sensors caused the delay. The problem was fixed by replacing suspect connectors that pass through the hull of Atlantis' external tank. Diagnostic tests indicate that replacing the connectors will provide steady signals from the sensors, which detect the time when the shuttle runs low on fuel.

"We really rely on them," said Frick. "We use virtually all of our 'gas' just to get up to orbit for a normal mission. We can't afford to let our engines run dry because they tend to come apart."

Frick's seven-member crew includes pilot Alan Poindexter and mission specialist Leland Melvin, shown here in a photo by award-winning FLORIDA TODAY photographer Michael R. Brown.

The crew also includes mission specialists Rex Walheim, Stanley Love, Hans Schegel and Leopold Eyharts. Schegel and Eyharts are astronauts with the European Space Agency. The prime payload for the mission is the European Columbus science laboratory.

Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters of the Air Force's 45th Space Wing says there is a 60 percent chance that rainy weather will prevent launch on Thursday. However, launch weather improves to 80 percent favorable on Friday.

"We'll keep looking at the weather, but we're very happy about the condition of Atlantis," said Frick. "We're feeling great about this week."

At 12:30 p.m. the crew will check out their launch and entry suits and the flight data file. Countdown begins at 5 p.m. At 6 p.m. Frick and Pilot Alan Poindexter will practice landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft.

STS-122 Fact Sheet

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