New Launch Dates For STS-114, STS-121

NASA won't get its wish to return its remaining space fleet to service next Spring. Working under a promise to abide by recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) and beset by new maintenance issues, the fleet will remain grounded until at least next September.

The first and second flights, now scheduled for September and November, will be considered test missions.  Astronauts will demonstrate their ability to spot and repair potentially fatal problems while they're still in orbit. They'll first have to design, then attach an extension to the shuttle's robot arm. That will allow them to inspect the entire spacecraft for damage while they're still in orbit. Work on that project just started and isn't expected to be complete until about a year from now. 

Per the CAIB recommendations, NASA scientists and engineers will also have to design and test a "band-aid" to repair damage to shuttle heat tiles. The reinforced "carbon-carbon" tiles on Columbia were damaged during its last, fatal launch. That damage and a puncture in the space plane's left wing caused the shuttle to disintegrate as Columbia re-entered the atmosphere on February 1st. All seven astronauts, including Israel's first-ever man in space, were killed in the disaster.

They'll also have to demonstrate the effectiveness of repairs to problems new and old. Corrosion has been found under the nose caps of both Discovery and Endeavour. Tests beneath Atlantis's nose cap were recently discovered to have been incomplete. A new inspection on Atlantis could take the shuttle out of service for almost a year. Atlantis was tentatively scheduled to be the first shuttle to return to flight. But, because of the nose cap corrosion issue, astronauts may indeed have to find another ride. That leaves Discovery as the only other option right now. It just came out of the shop, where it underwent modifications and repairs. Endeavour is still up on blocks.

The launches of STS-114 and STS-121 will be limited by daylight so that a phalanx of cameras -- some of them high-definition -- can capture any potential damage to the shuttle from a multitude of angles. That limits the days on which a shuttle can launch with hopes of meeting up with the International Space Station. Greg Oliver, chief of ascent/descent at the Johnson Space Center, explained last month: "For all rendezvous missions, the earth rotates the launch pad under the ISS orbital place once per day."

Still, space experts are a bit surprised at the ambitious back-to-back launches. One source told ABC News, "It's gutsy. They are biting off a lot trying to launch two shuttles back to back."

Speaking to reporters on Friday, NASA's associate administrator for space flight, Bill Readdy, said, "This is going to be a long, uphill climb back to 'return to flight. But I'll also guarantee you that we're getting an awful lot smarter about this and we're going to come back stronger and safer as a result. We're going to be very much driven by milestones and by the content that we have to accomplish here."

FMI: www.nasa.gov