NASA Confirms Final Shuttle Launch On July 8th
CAPE CANAVERAL (CBS4) - The last space shuttle launch ever is set.
On Tuesday, NASA managers met at Kennedy Space Center confirmed Friday, July 8 as the launch date for Atlantis. The 12-day mission will close out the 30-year shuttle program.
Atlantis got a new fuel valve last Tuesday. The old one, removed from main engine No. 3, showed a possible leak when the external fuel tank was filled to check for cracking. So far, the 50 reinforced brackets on the tank show no signs of cracks.
Last November, Discovery ended up grounded for four months because of cracks that were discovered in the support brackets in the central portion of the fuel tank. The so-called intertank region holds instruments rather than fuel. The problem was traced to a brittle aluminum alloy, combined with assembly issues. The same material was used for Atlantis' brackets which were later reinforced. Technicians X-rayed those support brackets last week and said everything looks good.
Only four astronauts are assigned to the 12-day mission, versus the normal six or seven, because of the fact that there no longer are any space shuttles on standby for a potential rescue. In the event of serious damage to the shuttle at liftoff, the four would move into the International Space Station and return, one at a time over the course of a year, via Russian Soyuz capsules.
Atlantis will fly to the International Space Station with a year's worth of supplies.
Launch time is 11:26 a.m. Huge crowds are expected.
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