nasa gives go for space shuttle launch

NASA GIVES 'GO' FOR SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH

Report #H08-029

WASHINGTON

NASA senior managers completed a review Wednesday ofspace shuttle

Atlantis' readiness for flight. Pending closure of anissue with a

shuttle radiator hose, the STS-122 mission will launchFeb. 7 at 2:45

p.m. EST. During an inspection of Atlantis Tuesday, one of four hoses

that carry Freon to the shuttle radiators in the payload bay was found

bent and not properly retracted in its storage box. The others were

fully retracted into their storage boxes, as expected. Teams are

continuing to gather data and assess any potential forward work.

Managers will convene Saturday to further review and analyze what, if

any, remaining work is required before launch. During the 11-day

mission, Commander Steve Frick and his six crewmates will install the

European Space Agency's new Columbus laboratory on the International

Space Station. Columbus will expand the research facilities of the

station and provide scientists around the world with the ability to

conduct a variety of life, physical and materials science experiments.

The mission will include three spacewalks, delivery of a new crew

member to the station and the return of another astronaut after nearly

four months aboard the complex. Atlantis' launch date was announced at

the conclusion of Wednesday'sexecutive-level Flight Readiness Review.

The one-day videoteleconference meeting was led from NASA Headquarters

in Washington.Top NASA and contractor managers assessed any risks

associated withthe mission and determined whether the shuttle's

equipment, supportsystems and procedures are ready for flight. The

firstexecutive-level Flight Readiness Review for STS-122 was held Nov.

30. The STS-122 mission was delayed in December 2007 after

failuresoccurred in a fuel sensor system while Atlantis' external fuel

tankwas being filled. A tanking, or fueling, test on Dec. 18,

2007,revealed that open circuits in the external tank's feed

throughconnector were the most likely cause of false readings in the

systemduring launch attempts on Dec. 6 and Dec. 9. A modified

connector was designed with pins and sockets soldered together. Both

the original and modified connector configurations were subjected to

testing that verified that the new design corrects the open circuits

found in the original connector.

The sensor system is one of several that protect the shuttle's

mainengines by triggering their shut down if fuel runs unexpectedly

low.NASA's current Launch Commit Criteria require that three of the

fourengine cutoff, or ECO, sensors function properly before liftoff

fromthe Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Joining Commander Frick on STS-122 will be pilot Alan Poindexter

andmission specialists Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim, Stanley Love

andEuropean Space Agency astronauts Hans Schlegel and Leopold

Eyharts.Eyharts will replace current station crew member Dan Tani, who

haslived on the outpost since October. Eyharts will return to Earth

onshuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission, currently targeted for launch