Shuttle Launch in Late August?

Shuttle Launch planned for August 27:  NASA officials have set Aug. 27 as the date of the next shuttle launch, according to reports from the Space Agency.  But a tricky repair will have to be completed or the shuttle launch will be scrapped.

Engineers have discovered that the wrong set of bolts attached to an antenna were installed decades ago, raising the possibility that the antenna could shake loose during liftoff and cause serious damage inside the cargo bay.

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This might cause a delay in the launch date even though Atlantis has flown 26 times with the error.

Engineers are now in the process of conducting extensive reviews of the hardware. AP reports that the reason the repairs may prove difficult is that the orbiter is already at the launchpad and special scaffolding will have to be built to make the change.

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The antenna in question provides the medium by which images are transmitted from the shuttle back to Mission Control. NASA engineers have advised they believe the bolts holding the antenna in place are too short to maintain its stability.

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said: “We’re not going to fly if we think there’s a possibility the antenna will come off.”

--Jeff Freeland writes from Houston