The space shuttle Endeavour remains scheduled to launch on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, despite an ongoing investigation into damage inflicted on the craft鈥檚 robot arm during repair work last week.
However, if the investigation calls for extensive work on the arm, NASA will aim to launch Endeavour in early December, with a repaired arm or even with no arm at all.
The shuttle was originally due to launch on 11 November but was grounded just hours before take off when an oxygen supply line connected to the spacecraft鈥檚 cabin was found to be leaking.
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The leak was successfully repaired on 13 November, but scaffolding put in place during the work accidentally damaged the shuttle鈥檚 robot arm. A ripped protective blanket was replaced but the key concern is that the arm might not function properly on arrival at the ISS, which would hinder planned construction work.
Arm bandage
The arm is due to lift a 14-tonne metal truss out of the shuttle鈥檚 cargo bay for installation at the ISS. This truss will form part of a 鈥渂ackbone鈥� frame outside the ISS that will eventually support a 100-metre solar array. Endeavour鈥檚 mission will also see a new crew and fresh supplies delivered to the orbiting outpost.
Ultrasound examinations showed that the arm suffered some 鈥渄elamination鈥�, NASA said on Monday. But further ultrasound scans are being conducted to determine whether the carbon-composite structure of the arm suffered any critical damage.
Investigators also plan to deliberately damage a replica arm located in Toronto, Canada, and test it in simulated micro-gravity to assess whether Endeavour鈥檚 arm will work properly in space.
Engineers are expected to deliver details of the ongoing work late on Wednesday. Another team should supply details of a separate inquiry into the cause of the shuttle cabin鈥檚 oxygen leak. NASA is concerned this may have been the result of metal fatigue, suggesting the rest of the shuttle fleet could be affected.
NASA is facing new pressure to extend the life of its ageing shuttle fleet after recently postponing plans for a full replacement. But a catalogue of different technical problems has meant that no shuttle has launched on schedule since April 2001.