9/25/2023 0 Comments Atlantis space shuttle 1998![]() But problems cropped up with troublesome solid-rocket boosters. Atlantis originally was scheduled to retrieve her in early August. Her endurance record is due in no small part to technical glitches and bad weather. Even if the mission ends early, she will have logged more hours in space than any US astronaut and more than any female astronaut in the world - and she will have inaugurated a permanent US presence in space when she and Blaha trade places. 26 landing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Lucid will have spent 188 days in space. IF mission planners allow Atlantis to remain on orbit until its scheduled Sept. Blaha, a retired Air Force colonel, is set to remain aboard Mir to conduct research until January, when his next American replacement is scheduled to arrive. Although she has noted how much she enjoyed her time on orbit, several weeks ago she told her replacement, John Blaha, that he could rest assured that she "would not be on the wrong side of the hatch" when it closes for the return. Lucid, who has spent the past six months conducting research aboard Mir and is eager to get back to husband and family. Once Atlantis is linked to Russia's orbiting lab, the shuttle crew will begin transferring more than 2 tons of supplies to their colleagues and, in turn, loading more than a ton of research samples and hardware bound for Russia and the European Space Agency, as well as for the US. The timetable calls for the Atlantis crew to dock with Mir tomorrow at 10:17 p.m. But after calculating the extra amount of fuel the orbiter would burn to accomplish a quicker docking with Mir, planners opted to stick to the original schedule. Initially, mission planners considered speeding up the timetable to bring Atlantis and its crew home sooner. In principle, the shuttle can land successfully with only one APU operating, according to shuttle designer Rockwell International. The balky APU shut down about the time Atlantis shut off its main engines as it reached orbit.Īlthough Atlantis's two remaining auxiliary power units work, "any time you lose redundancy, it's a concern," she says. They also steer the nozzles for Atlantis's three huge main engines, a function vital to achieving a desired orbit.įlight controllers saw indications prior to launch that one of the APUs might have a problem, but the sensor signals were sporadic, according to Pam Alloway, a spokeswoman at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The hydraulic systems control the wing flaps, rudder, and landing gear critical to landing the shuttle. Known as auxiliary power units (APUs), the 88-pound turbines power the pumps that keep fluid in the craft's hydraulic systems pressurized. Shortly after the shuttle Atlantis arched skyward yesterday morning, one of three devices vital to controlling the shuttle during launch and landing failed. As space-shuttle officials prepare the "Welcome Home" sign for astronaut Shannon Lucid, who has set records during her time aboard Russia's Mir space station, they are keeping a wary eye on the orbiter that will bring her back.
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