spacetoday.net: Contamination issue may delay shuttle launch

Posted: Thu, Sep 18, 2008, 6:34 AM ET (1034 GMT)

Loose insulation that contaminated a cargo carrier will delay its installation into the shuttle Atlantis, potentially delaying its mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. Particles of insulation got inside protective bagging around a cargo carrier that was being readied to be installed in the cargo bay of Atlantis on pad 39A. Cleaning up the insulation will delay that move by at least 24 hours. Shuttle managers said that they were still aiming for an October 10 launch of the shuttle but that could be delayed. Also uncertain is the impact the extended closure of NASA's Johnson Space Center, caused by Hurricane Ike, will have on launch preparations: the center, closed for a week, will reopen no earlier than Monday. Meanwhile, the rollout of the shuttle Endeavour, which would serve as a rescue shuttle for Atlantis in the event of an emergency, was delayed 24 hours to early Friday because of stormy weather.