spacetoday.net: Next two shuttle missions delayed

Posted: Wed, Dec 19, 2001, 11:24 PM ET (0424 GMT)
Hubble Servicing Mission 3B patch

The launches of the next two shuttle missions have been delayed one to two weeks, NASA announced Wednesday. The launch of the next shuttle mission, STS-109, has been delayed one week to February 21. The launch of Columbia on the Hubble servicing mission has been delayed to give astronauts additional training time after officials decided to add the replacement of one of two reaction wheels in the orbiting telescope to the tasks already planned for the mission. Previous reports indicated that the launch could be delayed at least two weeks; NASA officials said they would revisit the launch date decision in early January. The launch of the following mission, STS-110, has been delayed two weeks to April 4 after shuttle managers decided to remove one of the orbital maneuvering system pods on Atlantis. The pod removal will allow technicians to check one of the attachment points where engineers believe the bore holes for the bolts may not be the right size. STS-110 will bring the first segment of a truss to the International Space Station.