Cape Canaveral, Florida readies itself for NASA STS-122 mission

William Atkins
Tuesday, 04 December 2007 20:05

Science - Space

Thursday, December 6, 2007 is fast approaching and all looks good for an on-time liftoff of the space shuttle Atlantis and its STS-122 crew for its delivery of the European Columbus scientific laboratory to the International Space Station.           

On Monday, the countdown clock began official pre-launch activities at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) at the coastal spaceport of NASA in Florida. Flight controllers inside the Mission Control Center (MCC) at the NASA Johnson Space Center are also manning their posts in preparation for Atlantis’ ascent into the sky on Thursday.

The only problem so far encountered occurred on Friday, November 30, when some damage to the insulating foam on the external tank (ET) was discovered. Minor damage to three small areas on the nose of the fuel tank (thin cuts in the foam) was repaired with foam patches. The longest gouge was a little over 2 inches (about 5 centimeters) in length. The patches will cure and harden over a sixteen-hour period. According to NASA mission managers, a delay in launch was not expected from this problem.

In addition, weather at the Florida launch pad is predicted to be good on Thursday afternoon. The maximum temperature for the day is expected to be 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius), with partly cloudy conditions, a 10% chance of precipitation, and light winds at about 6 miles (10 kilometers) per hour from the north.

The seven-person crew of the STS-122 mission arrived at the NASA Kennedy Space Center at 12:30 p.m. EST (1730 GMT) on Monday, December 3, 2007, in order to prepare for Thursday’s eleven-day mission to the space station and its installation of the European Space Agency's Columbus module.

This fourth space shuttle mission for 2007, approved for launch on Friday, will be televised on NASA Television. Liftoff on Thursday, December 6th, is scheduled for 4:31 p.m. EST (2131 GMT) from launch pad 39A. Coverage on NASA TV begins at 11:30 a.m. EST.