Ike Cost Atlantis Crew Key Training Time

Training time lost because of Hurricane Ike will make it difficult for Atlantis astronauts to be ready for an Oct. 10 launch date, crew members said this morning during a briefing with reporters at launch pad 39A.

"We did miss seven days of training," said Commander Scott Altman. "It's hard to slice that out and still stay on track."

"In the end," Altman added, "I think we're going to try to do most of our training, and that of course may mean a bit of a slip. But it's being evaluated, and we're kind of standing by."

The seven-person crew is at Kennedy Space Center preparing for the fifth and final mission to service Hubble Space Telescope.

Wearing blue flight suits and sunglasses, Altman was joined by Pilot Greg Johnson and mission specialists Andrew Feustel, Michael Good, John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino and Megan McArthur.

Altman led the last mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope, which Grunsfeld and Massimino have also visited previously. The other four crew members are making their first shuttle flights.

The training time lost when Johnson Space Center closed for more than a week earlier this month included four spacewalk simulations in a giant swimming pool. Two of them practiced repairs to a camera and spectrograph that are considered the mission's most challenging work.

"We're hoping we get a chance to make those up," said Massimino, a spacewalker who will work on the spectrograph. "We would like to get another shot at them."

Also missed were two simulations involving Hubble staff who will be manipulating the telescope from the ground during its final servicing mission, and another covering emergency launch procedures.

The astronauts arrived at the space center from Houston on Sunday evening to begin what is called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT.

The training culminates Wednesday with a simulated launch countdown expected to end around 11 a.m.

Among other tasks today, the astronauts will practice emergency escapes from the shuttle dressed in their orange spacesuits, learning how they would slide in baskets down wires from the launch pad.

Once on the ground, they would take shelter in a bunker or, if time allowed, jump in an M113 armored personnel carrier and ride to safety outside the blast zone.

"All that stuff is stuff we hope we don't have to use, but we're trained up and ready to go if we need to," said Good.

Another safety measure they hope not to use: shuttle Endeavour, which is standing by on pad 39B as a rescue vehilce if Atlantis is damaged.

"I am confident we're not going to need it, but I also am reassured knowing that it's sitting there, and that a crew is going to be ready to go and come get us if we need it," said Altman.

Senior shuttle managers are scheduled to hold a preliminary flight readiness review Wednesday and Thursday, when they will review the progress of all Hubble mission teams and make recommendations about the launch date.

Senior NASA officials are scheduled to review those recommendations next Thursday and Friday.

IMAGE NOTE: Click the image above to enlarge it. The seven-person Atlantis crew took questions from reporters this morning at launch pad 39A, with the shuttle in the background. From left to right, the crew includes: Commander Scott Altman, Pilot Greg Johnson and mission specialists Mike Good, Megan McArthur, John Grunsfeld, Michael Massimino and Drew Feustel. Photo credit: Mike Brown, FLORIDA TODAY.