Shuttle set for liftoff with 'glass cockpit'
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The new cockpit provides graphical color displays. (Click for larger view)
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April 21, 2000
Web posted at: 1:16 p.m. EDT (1716 GMT)
From staff reports
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (CNN) -- The space shuttle Atlantis
will fly with an updated "glass cockpit" when it lifts off Monday on a mission to service the fledgling International Space Station, NASA officials said.
The new cockpit replaces dozens of conventional gauges
and cathode-ray tube displays with 11 flat-panel color
screens that provide easier pilot recognition of key
functions, NASA said.
| INTERACTIVE |
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| MESSAGE BOARD |
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The cockpit is 75 pounds lighter and uses less power
than its predecessor and is expected to become standard on all
shuttles by 2002. NASA plans to outfit shuttles with even more
advanced "smart" cockpits that reduce pilot workload during critical
flight times by 2005.
Space station losing altitude
The seven-member crew was scheduled to arrive at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday. The 72-hour countdown was to begin that evening. Preliminary forecasts indicated favorable launch weather for Monday's targeted liftoff time of 4:15 p.m. EDT.
NASA wants Atlantis at the space station as soon as possible.
The station needs new batteries as well as a boost: It's losing about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) a week in altitude because of increased solar activity.
Atlantis is to dock with the space station on Wednesday.
During the 10-day mission the crew will perform maintenance
work and prepare the station for its first long-term
inhabitants, scheduled to arrive later this year.
Upgrades planned for entire fleet
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Atlantis on the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center. (Click for larger view)
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Atlantis is most updated shuttle ever, according to NASA.
Technicians have performed more than 100 modifications to the
orbiter, including relocating the airlock to the
payload bay to prepare for flights to the space station.
The shuttle Columbia is receiving many of the same
upgrades, including the glass cockpit, at the Boeing shuttle
factory in Palmdale, California.
Last week NASA technicians replaced a power drive unit in
Atlantis with one from Columbia. The Atlantis unit, which powers the shuttle's rudder and speed brakes, had shown signs of a possible malfunction.
NASA plans to overhaul the entire fleet and double launch
safety by 2005. New sensors in the main engine, for example,
could detect trouble a split second before it does harm,
allowing for a safe engine shutdown.
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RELATED SITES:
Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis (OV-104)
NASA Homepage
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