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The Atlantis astronauts are flying high above the Pacific Ocean, having just passed over Indonesian Archipelago, a scattering of 17,000 that stretch across 5,000 miles in the Indian Ocean.
NASA flight controllers are tracking an elevated pressure reading in a drain line on one of the shuttle's three Auxiliary Power Units, which provide the hydraulic power needed to operate the spaceship's aerosurfaces as well as its rudder speedbrake, brakes, landing gear and nosewheel steering system.
Mission Control has told the crew that no action is required. The power unit is otherwise operating normally.
Despite the slightly higher-than-normal pressure reading, NASA flight controllers do not think there is any danger of the drain line rupturing and spewing combustible oil or hazardous rocket fuel into the aft compartment of the orbit.
The shuttle and its crew face a nine-minute loss of communications with Mission Control as the spoaceship plows through hot plasma on its way to an 11:39 a.m. tohcdown on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base.
Space news and analysis from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral 
3 comments:
Todd, when a shuttle is done with its mission and leaves it's place work work, like the ISS or Hubble, do they all go to the same orbit before their de-orbit burn? If so, what altitude is that? Also, can you refresh my memory on how high the ISS and Hubble are? Thanks.
Hi from Spain. I don't understand your first question. I can say that the orbits of the ISS and the Hubble are always (more o less) the same with or without the shuttle on it... The altitude for the ISS is about 360 kms high, and for the Hubble is about 580-600 kms high. Regards!
Good Questions Todd!!
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