Sep 24, 2008 2:15 pm US/Eastern
NASA Delays Shuttle Mission To Hubble
Shuttle Atlantis Was Supposed To Take Off Oct. 10th
Now Scheduled To Take Off Oct. 14th
Second Shuttle Is Ready To Launch As Emergency Rescue Vehicle
CAPE CANAVERAL (CBS4) ―
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The exterior of the Space Shuttle Atlantis' crew cabin and docking system is seen Feb. 9, 2008.
NASA/Getty Images
NASA is delaying next month's shuttle launch to the Hubble Space Telescope because of problems stemming from Hurricane Ike and replacement parts for the observatory.
Space shuttle Atlantis is now set to blast off late at night on Oct. 14 for the last visit to the orbiting telescope. Liftoff had been scheduled for the wee hours of Oct. 10, technically making this a five-day postponement.
Atlantis' seven astronauts lost a week of training because of Hurricane Ike. The hurricane shut down the Johnson Space Center in Houston, which did not reopen until this week. On Wednesday, the astronauts finished a practice countdown at Cape Canaveral in Florida.
Payload problems also contributed to the delay.
Once they blast off, the crew of seven will fly to Hubble to install new equipment that hopefully will prolong the telescope's working life and yield better results.
The mission was canceled following the 2003 Columbia disaster because of safety concerns, but reinstated by a new NASA regime.
There's another unique twist to this mission. The shuttle Endeavour is also sitting on a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, ready to fly in case Atlantis suffers irreparable damage during launch. The Endeavour has been readied as the back-up rescue ship in case of an emergency.
Unlike shuttles bound for the International Space Station, Atlantis' crew will have nowhere to seek shelter while awaiting rescue. That's why NASA must be ready to move fast with Endeavour.
This is the first time NASA has put a shuttle on the launch pad to serve as an emergency rescue vehicle.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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