NASA Delays First Post-Columbia Launch. New launch date for Discovery is May 22

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=688262

NASA Delays First Post-Columbia Launch

NASA Needs More Prep Time, Delays Launch of First Post-Columbia Flight
One Week to May 22

BY MARCIA DUNN
The Associated Press

Apr. 20, 2005 - NASA said Wednesday it needs more time to prepare for
the first space shuttle flight since the Columbia disaster and delayed
next month's launch by a full week.

The new launch date for Discovery is May 22.

Shuttle program manager Bill Parsons said engineering analysis and
paperwork still remain to be done. He stressed that the original
launch date was just a target.

NASA had been hoping to send Discovery on a 12-day delivery and repair
mission to the international space station on May 15.

But a critical design review of the revamped shuttle was not held
until this week, and all the information needs to be sumbitted to the
task force overseeing the space agency's return-to-flight effort.

NASA has until early June to launch Discovery a window dictated by the
position of the international space station and NASA's desire for a
daylight takeoff. Otherwise, the flight will have to wait until July.

The space agency has stipulated that the first two post-Columbia
launches occur in daylight to ensure good photography of the shuttle
and its external fuel tank, which has been modified to prevent big
pieces of foam insulation from coming off.

A 1.67-pound chunk of foam broke off Columbia's fuel tank during
liftoff in February 2003 and gashed the left wing. The hole caused the
spacecraft to shatter during re-entry, killing all seven astronauts.

This must be the non news season then. Bitsummed? Also, its funny how the
media like to invent terms. Gashed a hole?

Brian

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"Andrew" wrote in message
...
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=688262

NASA Delays First Post-Columbia Launch

NASA Needs More Prep Time, Delays Launch of First Post-Columbia Flight
One Week to May 22

BY MARCIA DUNN
The Associated Press

Apr. 20, 2005 - NASA said Wednesday it needs more time to prepare for
the first space shuttle flight since the Columbia disaster and delayed
next month's launch by a full week.

The new launch date for Discovery is May 22.

Shuttle program manager Bill Parsons said engineering analysis and
paperwork still remain to be done. He stressed that the original
launch date was just a target.

NASA had been hoping to send Discovery on a 12-day delivery and repair
mission to the international space station on May 15.

But a critical design review of the revamped shuttle was not held
until this week, and all the information needs to be sumbitted to the
task force overseeing the space agency's return-to-flight effort.

NASA has until early June to launch Discovery a window dictated by the
position of the international space station and NASA's desire for a
daylight takeoff. Otherwise, the flight will have to wait until July.

The space agency has stipulated that the first two post-Columbia
launches occur in daylight to ensure good photography of the shuttle
and its external fuel tank, which has been modified to prevent big
pieces of foam insulation from coming off.

A 1.67-pound chunk of foam broke off Columbia's fuel tank during
liftoff in February 2003 and gashed the left wing. The hole caused the
spacecraft to shatter during re-entry, killing all seven astronauts.

"Andrew" wrote in message
...
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=688262

NASA Delays First Post-Columbia Launch


I say it's for show. They set a launch date and "delay" it to show how
they're not rushing the launch.

On Thu, 21 Apr 2005 15:45:09 -0500, moodyblu wrote
(in article .net):


"Andrew" wrote in message
...
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=688262

NASA Delays First Post-Columbia Launch


I say it's for show. They set a launch date and "delay" it to show how
they're not rushing the launch.



No, it's not. The set the date based on operational considerations:
launch window, orbiter processing flow, etc., but don't have all the
paperwork done that the Stafford-Covey RTF committee wants done. If
you bothered to keep up with such stuff, you'd realize that the slip
was considered likely weeks ago.

Now, as to why no one has confirmed the report here of a recent
hydraulic fluid spill and clean-up, I don't know.

--
Herb Schaltegger, GPG Key ID: BBF6FC1C
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin, 1759
http://www.individual-i.com/

There won't be any Flight Readiness Firing (FRF). The closest that was
to be done to that was the tanking test done on the 14th of last week.
-Mike