Shuttle Launch - STS 122 Atlantis delivering Columbus

My considered opinion is this fault sounds more serious than the previous ones. They've had one sensor fail and subsequently work, but three is new. My considered opinion is that if they do go ahead with the plan to launch tomorrow (and it's not definite btw) then there's a fairly good chance more issues will ensue (and given the plans, that'll mean an instant hold for a few weeks).

Fingers crossed though and I'll be happier if I'm wrong than if I'm right. :)
 
What I feared would happen, has happened. One dead LH2 sensor. May as well call it off then.

Still, if they have a repeatable failure now, that might at least give them some engineering data to help nail this problem down for good.

Edit - there's some discussion going on but unless they change the flight rules, it's off.
 
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seems a bit odd that the next shuttle wont be operational until 2014? thats 4 years of no maintenence on the ISS? unless someones planning to stay up there that long!?
 
ISS will be manned for as long as it is safe to do so. Obviously if any large parts fail and that causes it to be unsafe to remain then they'll have to leave as there'll be no shuttle to bring up replacement parts, but most systems have at least one redundant backup, and often two, so hopefully it'll be a while before that happens. Smaller parts can be shipped up via soyuz (Russian), progress (Russian), ATV (European) or HTV (Japanese). ISS has a design life until at least 2015, which you may feel is short, but bearing in mind that it should have been completed several years ago, is not so bad.

As for the shuttle, scrubbed as expected. Based on past comments, my guess is it'll be at least a few weeks before they try again (this launch window closes in a few days anyway).
 
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Yeah, stuff happens though. They got within a week back in Feburary and then a freak hailstorm happened and destroyed the insulation on a tank. Took months to fix that.

As anticipated, there will now be no launch in December. The launch window actually reopens at the end of December but they (understandably) want to give the holidays to the crew and launch control staff, and the shuttle computers can't handle year end correctly so they can't launch then anyway.

No objection from me, I'll actually be able to watch most of the coverage as a result (instead of missing most as I would have done). :cool:
 
Any ideas what will happen to STS-123s launch date, 14th Feb 2008, as I'm in Florida for two weeks then and it would be awsome to catch a live launch.
 
If the launch gets off on tine in January, possibly nothing. If it doesn't, then it's probably on day-for-day slip. It's all down to how long they need between launches and what the schedule for the ATV is as that's due in February as well. They seemed optimistic in the press conference yesterday though.
 
Noooo,

STS 122:
Launch Target:
Feb. 7, 2008
2:47 p.m. EST

STS-123
Mid-March 2008

First time ever I want it to be delayed by a day, I'm in the air over the atlantic on the way to Florida when the launch is sceduled happen :(
 
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