Engineers will report back to the mission management team during next week's FRR to say whether they think the new plug is working. The plug connects four small low-fuel sensors to computers on the Shuttle. Just like the low-fuel light on your car’s dashboard, the sensors signal Atlantis to shut down its main engines if propellant runs low during the trip to orbit. The motors might explode if the turbo pumps run without fuel flowing through them, so having the sensors work right is a good thing. They didn’t during two failed launch tries last month, and NASA thinks it’s the plug. The theory is that the supercold fuel in the tank jiggled the pins and sockets, and that sent bad sensor readings. Soldering the parts on the replacement plug together is NASA’s answer. It may not be known if the solution is a good one until propellant is pumped in, either during a fueling test or on launch day. They’re targeting February 7th, less than a week after the fifth anniversary of the Columbia accident—if you can believe it’s been five years. A couple of points related to "Final Countdown"—if you’re over on the spacecoast this Saturday, I’ve been invited to have a book signing at U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Museum’s Collectibles Show. It’s at the Travis Park Community Center, 2001 Michigan Avenue, in Cocoa, starting at 10 am. Get a book signed, and then hit the beach! Also, I’m flattered to report that Scientific American has included "Final Countdown" on its book club. There’s a link below, and they have a discount offer for new members. I’ve also included the link for my talk on C-SPAN, in case you’re having lunch at your desk and want something to watch. http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id=203165-1 More to come. Photo courtesy of NASA |
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January 21, 2008—You might call it a space-age version of "paint or get off the ladder". NASA managers meet on January 30th for a modified version of what's called the Flight Readiness Review for the much delayed mission of Space Shuttle Atlantis. The hope is that sensor problems that left this mission appearing somewhat "snake bit" will be resolved. Engineers, like the one pictured here, labored to replace a troublesome electrical plug on the spacecraft’s external fuel tank. With the work done, technicians slathered the repair spot with the liquid foam insulation that gives the tank its characteristic orange appearance. Then, they spent the weekend watching it dry.