NASA Replaces Part on Shuttle, Reviews Launch
Technicians replaced a faulty engine part Thursday aboard the shuttle Atlantis, as NASA managers reviewed plans to launch the spacecraft at the end of the month on a crucial flight to deploy a probe to Venus.
The two-day “flight readiness review,” an exhaustive assessment of shuttle launch processing, began at 8 a.m. at the space center and ran late into the day.
Among those present was Navy Rear Adm. Richard H. Truly, a former astronaut and associate administrator for space flight whom President Bush said Wednesday he would nominate to serve as NASA’s next administrator.
Probe to Map Venus
Atlantis is scheduled to blast off April 28 with a crew of five to launch the Magellan probe, which will continue on a 15-month voyage to Venus. Magellan is scheduled to map at least 90% of the planet’s surface, which would increase knowledge about the evolution of Earth’s solar system.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s shuttle processing schedule does not include additional time to resolve problems, which is what engineers encountered Wednesday night.
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