External Fuel Tank Remains A Concern
It could be January or
March of next year before NASA is ready to launch its first space
shuttle mission since Columbia disintegrated in the sky above Texas
in February 2003, a top NASA administrator said on Tuesday. NASA
has been targeting a launch date in September or October, but that
looks unlikely because of ongoing research into air flow around the
shuttle's huge external fuel tank, said NASA shuttle and space
station director Michael Kostelnik.
He said new research models required a broader look at the fuel
tank issue, which was critical because investigators believe
insulation foam broke loose from the tank, struck Columbia's wing
and caused the spacecraft's demise by damaging its heat shield.
"It is very likely that the delay associated with this extra
work on the tank will take us beyond the opportunity to fly in this
big opening window (in September)," Kostelnik told reporters at a
NASA conference on the shuttle. "The next credible window that we
think all the technical things will be accomplished is that opening
window in January."
But, because of flight
restrictions now in place, Kostelnik said the January slot would
give NASA only a few days to launch, which may be too brief to
complete final preparations. The next possibility would come in
March, when the launch window would last several weeks, he
said.
The nation's three remaining shuttles have been grounded since
the Columbia disaster that killed the seven astronauts on board.
The Columbia Accident Investigation Board appointed to probe the
tragedy said it happened because NASA had become more concerned
with meeting flight schedules than with safety. The agency must
fulfill a list of safety recommendations from the investigation
board before it can launch the shuttle again. At the same
time, Kostelnik said NASA needs to get the shuttle flying as soon
as possible to both perform maintenance on the International Space
Station (news - web sites) and to complete its construction.
Supplies and crewmembers currently are being ferried to the station
aboard Russian space capsules.
Speakers at Tuesday's conference said NASA was making good
progress in meeting the new safety requirements, but admitted it
would be difficult to greatly increase the astronauts' chances of
survival in a shuttle accident. Under a space plan announced
by President Bush in January, shuttle flights are supposed to be
phased out by 2010 ahead of proposed manned flights to the moon and
Mars.
"Within the remaining service life (of the shuttle), it's just
not credible that we're going to dramatically change any aspect of
this vehicle," Kostelnik said.