NASA Eyes Shuttle Antenna Bolts in Atlantis Flight Review

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After Weather Delays, Space Shuttle Atlantis Reaches Launch Pad
A banner cheers the space shuttle on as it reached Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Aug. 2, 2006. (Image credit: NASA/T. Gray.)

A swarm ofNASA shuttle managers,engineers and contractors have descended on the agency's Florida spaceport fora two-day meeting to decide whether the Atlantis orbiter is fit to launch sixastronauts spaceward on Aug. 27.

Among themany items to be discussed during the meeting is whether engineers need toreplace a set of four bolts connecting Atlantis' primary data and video antennato the upper right side of the orbiter's payload bay.

"I know they'regoing to present it and we're going to lay out a plan on what the work would take,"said NASA spokesperson Bruce Buckingham, of the agency's Kennedy Space Center (KSC)where the meeting is underway, adding that it's still far from final whether additionalwork will be required at the shuttle's launch pad.

The four boltslatching Atlantis' antenna dish in place are shorter than those stipulated inengineering specifications, but have flown on all 26 of the shuttle's spaceflights.Engineers have expressed some concern that the bolts could shake loose duringlaunch, which could send the antenna plunging down the length of Atlantis'60-foot (18-meter) payload bay and cause serious damage to the orbiter.

"If we did decideto go do the work, it could in all likelihood not affect our launch date,"Buckingham said.

Atlantis isslatedto launch from KSC's Pad 39Bsite no earlier than 4:30 p.m. EDT (1030 GMT) on Aug. 27 to begin an 11-daymission to the InternationalSpace Station (ISS).

Its STS-115mission, commanded by veteran shuttle astronaut BrentJett, will deliver a newsolar array and pair of truss segments to the orbital laboratory.

But firstAtlantis must pass muster before teams of safety engineers and top shuttleofficials during a standard pre-launch meeting known as the Flight ReadinessReview.

Buckinghamsaid that between 200 and 300 shuttle officials, engineers and contractors begandiscussing Atlantis' flight readiness at about 8:00 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT) today. Talksare expected to stretch on through Wednesday, with a final launch target to beannounced that afternoon.

NASAwill broadcast the results of Atlantis' STS-115 Flight Readiness Review meetinglive on NASATV no earlier than 2:00 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT). You are invited to follow the briefingusing SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed, which is available by clickinghere.

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Tariq Malik
Tariq Malik
Editor-in-Chief

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik.