|
Shuttle express closes in on space station
CNN (CNN) -- The space shuttle Atlantis gave chase to the international space station on Tuesday, carrying components for the first railroad in space. The shuttle gained 1,000 miles on the space station every time it circled Earth and should arrive at the orbiting outpost Wednesday afternoon. The 11-day mission began late Monday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida but almost did not get off the ground. A computer glitch minutes before launch threatened to scrub the flight. NASA technicians fixed the problem and sent Atlantis and its seven astronauts on their way with 11 seconds remaining in a five-minute launch window.
The trip had already been delayed four days. On Thursday, a ruptured fuel line on the shuttle platform scrubbed the flight hours before its scheduled launch. Atlantis should dock with the space station Wednesday at 12:06 p.m. EDT, after which shuttle astronauts will conduct four spacewalks to install a variety of expensive pieces of hardware. The main one is a squat, three-dimensional, metal trapezoid replete with electrical wires, cables and computers. The $600 million truss will enable future research and construction projects on the expanding station. The 44-foot (13-meter) long, 13.5-ton structure will have railroad tracks attached to it. In the future, a railcar will shuttle the station's robotic arm, allowing it to grasp and move massive pieces of equipment around the modular outpost. Atlantis is bringing the first railroad segment along with the $190 million railcar. The track is slated to eventually stretch more than 360 feet (110 meters). Designing the first railroad for the harsh conditions of space has been no easy task, said NASA engineers. "These rails will run in temperatures far hotter than any desert and far colder than any mountain," said Tom Farell of NASA's Johnson Space Center in a statement. Moreover, "we've done a lot of work to make certain it can't jump the tracks ... during all the station's activities, like re-boosting its orbit or having visiting vehicles dock." The shuttle will also carry along scientific experiments. One known as the Photosynthetic Experiment and System Testing and Operation, or PESTO, could lead to better space food. The wheat growth project, which will remain on the station at least two months, could help scientists determine how to grow grains in space, raising the prospect of astronauts baking their own bread. For the three space station residents, the arrival of Atlantis will mean a cuisine improvement. The shuttle astronauts, the first visitors to the space station since the current space station inhabitants arrived in December, are bringing fresh food and supplies to the orbiting outpost. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RELATED SITES:
SPACE TOP STORIES:
NASA starts countdown to Mars mission Shuttle probe could take six months Shuttle widows grasp faith, each other EPA approves new modified corn Mexico saves island from tourism build-up (More) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Back to the top |
© 2003 Cable News Network LP, LLLP.
A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us. |