FLUG REVUE July 2005: Space Shuttle return to flight efforts

July 2005

SHUTTLE RETURN TO FLIGHT DELAYED

By Matthias Gründer

Space Shuttle

As expected, the window previously set by NASA for the next launch of the shuttle at the beginning of June 2005 has proved to be overoptimistic. Because it is absolutely essential that this first flight after the Columbia disaster should be a success, tensions are running high in Cape Canaveral.

The latest bad news for all those involved in the launch came on 26 May, when the space transport system, which was already standing on the launchpad, had to be towed back to the assembly hall. On 31 May, the orbiter was once again separated from the solid fuel boosters and the ET-120 external tank, and assembly of the new ET-121 external tank, which was actually intended for mission STS-121 with Atlantis, was scheduled to take place on 7 June (after FLUG REVUE had gone to press).

There was no official explanation for this manoeuvre, but a technical description of the new tank suggests that engineers at the Cape are leaving no stone unturned in their endeavours to ensure that this flight succeeds. For ET-121 is equipped with a new heating system that is supposed to prevent the build-up of ice on the main fuel line, so that no lumps of ice could chip off and damage the orbiter during the launch. In addition, the tank has an enhanced fastening system for attaching the external tank to the orbiter, plus extra sensors and accelerometers which should provide information about temperature and vibration during the flight.

At the same time it was proudly announced that close examination of the retraction mechanisms for the main landing gear of the orbiter and testing of the auxiliary power unit (APU) had not found any defects or faults. Why such tests still need to be carried out on a system already assembled and standing vertically on the launch platform has not been explained in the “Space Shuttle Processing Status Transport”, which is published virtually every day. However, they do shed some light on the psychological pressure weighing down on everyone, from management down to the astronauts and technicians.

This launch simply has to be a success! Too much money and sweat have been invested in the Discovery and its systems; the orbiter, the boosters and the external tank have been largely redesigned or almost completely rebuilt. NASA staff simply cannot imagine this fateful mission STS-114 going wrong, as that would not only mean the end of manned US spaceflight for many years to come, but it would also be a personal defeat for everyone responsible for only a small component.

The final report published by the inquiry that investigated the causes of the Colombia crash had identified 15 primary, technical problems that needed to be eliminated before flying operations could resume. But that was not the only issue involved. Even more serious in some ways, problems in management particularly also had to be clarified to avoid a repeat of the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the disaster. Acting on its own initiative, the NASA administration therefore added another 14 items which now had to be processed. This was the main driving force for all subsequent activities. After all, one can live with technical problems that cannot be resolved, but to be branded incapable, a failure is something else...

When one bears all this in mind, it is truly incomprehensible why NASA set a date for the launch window for resuming flights as early as this March. Over 40 years’ experience of manned US spaceflight suggests that as the work progresses, the problems tend to increase rather than to decrease. The rationale given for the most recent postponement of the launch window announced on 29 April was typical: it had been ascertained that more work needed to be done to avoid possible damage to the orbiter, hence additional modifications had to be carried out to the tank.

Meanwhile the crew members, headed by Commander Eileen Collins, must be finding it increasingly difficult to remain calm. Pilot Jim Kelly and mission specialists Steve Robinson, Andrew Thomas, Wendy Lawrence, Charles Camarda plus the Japanese Soichi Noguchi have run through all the actions, from stepping into the space vehicle prior to lift-off through to disembarking after landing successfully, again and again, but even the emergency training may not make the astronauts and trainers feel really calm and safe. Everyone knows from the wonderful Apollo era that the rescue system developed even at that time did not offer the crew members a real chance if an alarm were really to be triggered on the ramp.

Finally in the middle of June the Discovery will be taken back on the giant crawler transporter to launch complex 39B for installation of the payload. The latest launch date they are aiming for is 13 July, with a launch window extending to 31 July. Seldom before has the launch of a US space mission being awaited with such trepidation both at home and by NASA’s partners abroad. Even if they have absolutely nothing to do with spaceflight, the American public needs a collective success story to take the spotlight off Iraq and all the unresolved problems there. NASA needs this success for its reputation as the self-proclaimed leader on space activities and for future missions to Moon and Mars. Meanwhile the partners just want one thing: the resumption of flights to the ISS.

From FLUG REVUE 7/2005

Last updated 10 June 2005

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