Continuing cold weather at Kennedy Space Center is pushing back rollout of the orbiter Discovery again and a March 18 target launch date is being evaluated and could slip back a few days.The move out of its shuttle processing hangar to KSC's 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building had been slated for Thursday. The earliest the orbiter might roll out now is 5 p.m. Monday, but NASA's Deputy Shuttle Program Manager, LeRoy Cain, said that schedule is "optimistic."
Discovery's move to launch pad 39A now is scheduled for no earlier than Feb. 23, and a traditional practice countdown involving the shuttle's crew is being pushed back to the first week of March. The crew includes commander Alan Poindexter, pilot James Dutton and mission specialists Rick Mastracchio, Stephanie Wilson, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Clay Anderson and Naoko Yamazaki of the Japane Aerospace Exploration Agency.
Cain said managers would meet in the middle of next week to consider the March 18 target date.
At this point, the target is almost certain to change.
NASA is delaying the move because the cold weather could cause problems with shuttle systems. In particular, the orbiter's 44 nose-and-tail steering jets become susceptible to leaks in the cold.
ABOUT THE IMAGE: Click to enlarge the NASA image of Discovery being readied for flight in Orbiter Processing Facility Bay No. 3, which is located across the street from the north side of the Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building. Discovery and seven astronauts will fly up to the International Space Station with an Italian-built cargo carrier full of supplies and equipment. Photo Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
7 comments:
>NASA is delaying the move because the cold weather could cause problems with shuttle systems. In particular, the orbiter's 44 nose-and-tail steering jets become susceptible to leaks in the cold.
Oh I see...its colder on the pad than in LEO.
ROFLMAO!
The systems they are referring to are the many of the ones that are a part of the external tank and the SRBs that don’t make it to LEO. The others are the ones that are part of systems whose heater system is not fired-up on the ground only just before launch and during orbit. Please get all the information before randomly posting about matters that you apparently know nothing about.
"Oh I see...its colder on the pad than in LEO."
No...
Leaks of highly toxic, corrosive, hypergolic hydrazine are a bigger deal on the pad than in LEO.
But thanks for playing, have some Turtle Wax.
That guy probably voted for Obama, too.
A vote to end manned space flight as we know it.
Florida Today supports ending manned space flight as they encouraged voters to vote for Obama and his policies.
Right. That's why we devote more resources to covering the human space flight program than any other newspaper on the planet......
Florida Today endorsed (see encouraged) voters to cast their vote for Obama.
Obama is for ending manned space flight.
Therefore, Florida Todasy is for ending manned space flight.
I'm just following the logic here. Remember, the editorial board is not always the writer's friend.
See liberal, lamestream media.
I applaud you, Todd. You do great work in the Flame Trench and it's appreciated. I rspect you, but I loathe those that meet every afternoon around that wooden table in the glass room.
They're so out of touch.
Steering jets leak in cold weather?? Seems space is not a warm place someone go to the store and get some blankets or knit a sweater to keep the space ship warm.
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