By KUNA
Washington : NASA will hold a meeting Thursday to discuss the status of the shuttle Atlantis and ongoing work to repair a fuel circuitry problem that grounded the mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in early December.
Last week, NASA’s space shuttle Atlantis was still no closer to lift off. Officials pushed-back the Atlantis mission’s target launch date of January 10, stating that date was “no longer achievable”, but they did not indicate when it will be ready for the mission to carry a new European Columbus space laboratory up to the ISS.
The 11-day mission was set to launch on December 6, but was postponed the last minute after several fuel sensors gave false readings that the exterior fuel tank’s liquid hydrogen levels were empty.
Scientists have had difficulties exactly pinpointing the faulty connector responsible, saying it could take weeks or even months. The briefing is expected to give insight into how much longer the shuttle launch will be delayed.