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Shuttle arm concerns could derail launch

By IRENE BROWN, UPI Science News

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Concerns about leaking oxygen hoses aboard space shuttle Endeavor are taking a back seat to new analysis of possible damage to the vehicle's robot arm, with a decision about how to proceed as expected on Monday, NASA officials said Saturday.

Robotics experts from Canada, which built the shuttle and the space station's robotic cranes, are spearheading a probe to determine if Endeavour's 50-foot-arm was structurally damaged during a recent accident at the launch pad. Workers installing a platform accidentally bumped the robot arm, tearing its insulation and scuffing its surface.

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"It was human error," said shuttle program manager Ronald Dittemore. "We had spotters in place and those spotters are required to call a time-out, or a halt, if we get too close to structure. This particular person got distracted at the time that it was getting close to the structure. It was a mistake."

The platform was being installed in the shuttle's cargo bay to give workers access to a suspected leaking oxygen hose. The leak was detected shortly before Endeavour's planned launch last Monday. Analysis to determine the extent of damage to the arm is under way.

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"At this point, we do not know," said shuttle program director Ronald Dittemore. "We do not have data that says the arm has been impacted to the point that we cannot use it or cannot fly it."

Ultrasonic testing of the arm was scheduled to be completed on Saturday.

If the arm fails to obtain a clean bill of health, NASA could be looking at a launch delay that stretches until January. The shuttle, which is to spend a week at the International Space Station, cannot be launched to the outpost between Dec. 11 and Dec. 25 due to power requirements and the angle of the sun during that time on the station's solar arrays, said officials with the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Replacing the arm would require several weeks to transport the shuttle back to its processing hangar, swap the crane and return the shuttle to the launch pad.

Endeavour's robot arm is needed to lift a 14-ton truss segment out of the payload bay for installation on the space station.

On a brighter note, preliminary analysis shows the leaking oxygen hose probably is not a fleet-wide problem, said Dittemore, adding he expects to be able to resolve that question by Monday as well.

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The shuttle is now scheduled for launch no earlier than Friday.

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