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Cape Canaveral (AFP) Florida, Dec 6, 2006 Weather conditions and potential technical glitches clouded prospects for a Thursday launch of the Discovery space shuttle, with NASA reporting just a 40 percent chance of favorable weather. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration was also reviewing Wednesday two potential technical problems: a voltage increase and an anomaly in the solid rocket engine joint. Engineers discovered the voltage increase during routine preparations late Tuesday, and the anomaly in the engine joint was detected during testing. NASA test director Jeff Spaulding said officials did not expect difficulties to arise from the voltage spike, but they were still reviewing the matter. He told reporters NASA would also determine whether the solid rocket engine joint was "an issue." "Our primary concern for launch day is a low cloud ceiling," shuttle weather officer Cathy Winters told reporters at the same press conference Wednesday. If Discovery does not launch at 9:35 pm Thursday as planned, NASA will face even less favorable weather conditions on Friday, with just a 30 percent chance of launch-worthy weather. The space agency has set a window for rescheduling the liftoff that lasts until December 17, though it has not yet called off Thursday's launch attempt. The shuttle is scheduled for a 12-day mission to the International Space Station as NASA races to finish building the station before it retires its three-shuttle fleet in 2010. Discovery's mission to rewire the station in two spacewalks is its most complex to date. The shuttle's astronauts will also bring an 11-million-dollar truss segment to be added to the orbiting laboratory in a third walk.
earlier related report The shuttle is scheduled for a 12-day mission to the International Space Station as NASA races to finish building the station before it retires its three-shuttle fleet in 2010. The countdown for a Thursday 9:35 pm (0235 GMT Friday) liftoff continued, said LeRoy Cain, launch integration manager of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's shuttle program. If all goes as planned it will be the first night launch since the Space Shuttle Endeavour lifted off on Nov. 23, 2002. However late Tuesday engineers saw a voltage increase during routine preparations. "We think it may have been a faulty potentiometer, one of the sensors that are used to monitor the system when we do those power adjustments," he said. The second problem was an anomaly in the solid motor joint detected during testing. "We need to look further and determine if we have any concern," Cain said of that problem. "I don't want to speculate yet." He said the issue would be discussed Wednesday in meetings with the shuttle mission management team. A launch delay of even a day however could result in a major schedule setback. No major meteorological problems are foreseen for the 10-minute launch window on Thursday, with only a 30 percent chance of weather scuttling liftoff plans. However, should there be a 24- or 48-hour delay, then the weather risk would increase to 60 percent. "The first day is the best day weather-wise," said Kathy Winters, the shuttle weather officer. Strong winds cause a "lot of concern" with a 24-hour and 48-hour delay, she said. The space agency has set a window for rescheduling the lift-off that lasts until December 17. Discovery's mission to rewire the orbiting ISS in two space walks is its most complex to date. The astronauts will also bring an 11-million-dollar truss segment to be added to the orbiting laboratory in a third walk. The seven-member Discovery crew will include Swedish astronaut Christer Fuglesang of the European Space Agency, who will be making his first space flight. The US space agency plans 14 shuttle missions, including Thursday's, to finish building the ISS by 2010. Thursday's liftoff will be the third and final shuttle launch of the year, and the fourth since the Columbia disaster in February 2003 that killed seven astronauts, grounding the shuttle program for more than two years. The three launches after the Columbia tragedy -- August 2005, and July and September this year -- were scheduled during daylight so that cameras on the ground and on the shuttle could take images of the spacecraft's exterior tank in case pieces of thermal insulation or ice might break off during liftoff. A piece of insulating foam damaged Columbia's heat-shield shortly after launch, leading to the shuttle disintegrating upon re-entry to Earth's atmosphere. The September launch marked the resumption of ISS construction, after the previous two missions focused on improving safety.
Source: Agence France-Presse Related Links NASA Discovery
NASA Astronaut Discusses Improvements In Shuttle Safety
Ithaca NY (SPX) Dec 07, 2006NASA astronaut and engineer Charles Camarda visited a Cornell engineering class Nov. 21 to recount his experiences onboard Discovery, the first space shuttle mission following the 2003 loss of Columbia and its seven crew members. He also discussed his role in the Columbia accident investigation.
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