Ned Potter is the science correspondent for ABC's "World News with Charles Gibson." He has reported on such topics as space exploration, the human genome and climate change.
RECENT POSTS
- Mars Rover: Stuck in the Mud
- Tranquility Base
- NASA's Ares 1-X Test: The View From Above
- The Yes Men
- The Missing Link -- Not
- Moon Crash Kicked Up Plume After All
- Moon Crash: Where's the Water?
- Green Apple: Firm is Latest to Leave U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- Recovery.gov: Your Tax Dollars at Work
- Climate: Power Companies Quit U.S Chamber of Commerce
MONTHLY ARCHIVES
« Previous | Main | Next »
One Less Shuttle Flight This Year
September 17, 2007 7:07 PM
This just in from Gina Sunseri in Houston:
A hydraulic leak in the landing gear of Space Shuttle Discovery threatens to delay the launch of the next flight, STS-120, which had been scheduled for October 23rd.
Sources also tell ABC News external tank issues--the ongoing questions about foam and ice breaking loose during launch--will most likely push the flight after that, STS-122, from December 2007 into January 2008.
STS-120 and STS-122 are two of the 14 flights scheduled to finish and supply the International Space Station before the shuttle quits flying in July of 2010.
To meet that target, NASA will have to launch six shuttles in 2008, six in 2009, and two in 2010.
================
Note added Tuesday morning:
Thanks for your comments. I've spoken with Gina; she says her sources tell her there's a fair amount of foam on the external tank for STS-122 that needs to be removed and reapplied. Combine that with the potential squeeze caused by STS-120 issues, and managers may decide not to rush to make a December launch window, which was less than a week long anyhow. It's a complicated business....
September 17, 2007 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (7)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
We are crazy to end this program expecting to "hitch a ride" with the Russians given the state of affairs over there. Putin has been manipulating his military and his Parliament and replacing his PM with no resistance. His military has been making flybys of the US and NATO fleets and countries for months now. We can not trust the Russians. To end the Shuttle program in 2010 when the Shuttle vehicles can continue to fly within a margin of safety is ludicrous. It should remain flying until the new vehicle arrives on scene and only then should it be retired.
Posted by: vizorsdn | Sep 17, 2007 7:41:01 PM
There are 13 shuttles left, not 14. STS-120, and 122 through 133.
Posted by: anonymous | Sep 17, 2007 7:54:04 PM
This is not accurate. STS-122's window is only seven days, that's why it's tight and they can still launch at the end of December if they don't make it. It's got nothing to do with the tank, it's to do with stacking flow in the VAB.
I suggest you read nasaspaceflight -on the actual reasons, as your sources are misleading you.
Posted by: Dave at NASA | Sep 17, 2007 8:00:55 PM
I partly agree with vizorsdn in that we should continue to fly the shuttle until a viable and proven alternative has flown a series of successful missions. I disagree with vizorsdn in that it is not the Russians who we have to fear; it's more that the Russians can't trust the Bush administration. Hell, Americans can't trust Bush. As for the foam insulation problems, I've been telling NASA for years that it should roll a nylon sleeve over the external fuel tank or attach nylon bands over the EFT at uniform intervals up and down the EFT. Why don't they listen to me?!
Posted by: Jeremy Weso | Sep 17, 2007 9:50:49 PM
They "don't listen" to you because they did listen to that suggestion, and it's a bad idea because of the weight issue. The foam insulation is not at all a showstopper, as pointed out above most of this article is incorrect.
Posted by: Rob Dale | Sep 17, 2007 10:01:41 PM
No matter how well NASA maintains the shuttle and its ancillary equipment, the passage of time dictates that more and more repairs will need to be done as systems break and fail, much like those of an older auto. I wonder if the delay of the shuttle flights will have the "domino effect" of delaying the shuttle's replacement.
Posted by: chuck | Sep 18, 2007 8:58:58 AM
No, the shuttle will be retired in 2010. Constellation is a completely separate department from Shuttle.
Posted by: Rob Dale | Sep 18, 2007 12:52:41 PM
Post a comment
