NATION : Venus Probe Mission Slated April 28
The shuttle Atlantis was cleared today for blastoff April 28 on the year’s second shuttle flight, a showcase mission to launch a sophisticated robot probe to cloud-shrouded Venus.
Rear Adm. Richard Truly, nominated by President Bush to be NASA’s next administrator, announced the formal launch date at the end of a two-day flight readiness review.
“While we have much work to do and little contingency time, we have established an April 28 launch date,” said Truly, who chaired the readiness review in his capacity as associate administrator for space flight, a post the former astronaut took on in the wake of the 1986 Challenger disaster.
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