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Space Shuttle Atlantis Delayed Again

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the mom-says-i'm-grounded dept.

eldavojohn writes "An electrical short cause the space shuttle Atlantis to be delayed since a lightning strike to the pad and Tropical Storm Ernesto caused delays. From the article: 'Liftoff was only hours away Wednesday morning when engineers reported a short in one of three fuel cells that supplies electricity for all the on-board systems, including the crew compartment.' It also points out that 'The faulty cell is currently operational even with the short. But after the 2003 Columbia disaster, which killed all seven astronauts, NASA says it has adopted an aggressive, safety-conscious approach to launching.' It causes one to wonder whether pre-Columbia-disaster NASA would have just replaced the fuel cell on the fly without telling anyone — and whether or not that is an ethically sound choice."

5 of 174 comments (clear)

  1. Great timing there... by interiot · · Score: 5, Informative

    Unfortunately the article is a day old... Countdown is continuuing for a launch this morning (Friday morning).

    1. Re:Great timing there... by keithmoore · · Score: 5, Informative

      for news about something like the shuttle, where the status changes from day to day,
      it really pays to check a primary source. like
      http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/ind ex.html

  2. On again? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    CBC radio is saying it's on for today. This is in spite of the fact that the chief safety officer objects. They say they can go with only two fuel cells and don't need the third one. The spokesman I heard said that replacing the fuel cell had its own risks. Could this thing be so complicated that they can never get the whole thing working at the same time?

  3. Hmm .... T minus 4 hours pr so by CiRu5 · · Score: 4, Informative

    This article is a little late wouldn't you say, the shuttle launches this morning baring any further delays. Also I believe they are choosing to fly with the damaged fuel cell as it is not a threat to the safety of the crew.
    Good Update: http://www.spacetoday.net/Summary/3484
    Countdown ticker: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/ind ex.html

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  4. Re:Tell me again, Americans... by onion2k · · Score: 4, Informative

    You save a huge amount of money if you launch from a geographic location that is near the equator, heading east (so you get the benefit of the Earth's rotation, which saves fuel and allows for an increased payload), and is far enough away from people that you don't get bits of rocket landing in residential areas if it all goes wrong. Being near the equator also puts you in a good position for a geostationary orbit.

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