Technicians and engineers in NASA’s space shuttle program plan to test the engine cutoff sensor system onboard space shuttle Atlantis by pumping super-cold liquid hydrogen into the external fuel tank. The test is tentatively planned for Dec. 18. It will be conducted at the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center where Atlantis remains poised for launch.
Space Shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale said additional instruments will be used during the test to pinpoint the problem that led to false readings during two previous countdown attempts for Atlantis.
The companies that built the pieces of the space shuttle are conducting tests at other facilities to help determine a cause, Hale said.
“This is part of broad-ranging effort,” Hale said.
The next launch opportunity for the space agency is no earlier than Jan. 2, 2008, at 5:41 a.m. EST from Kennedy.
