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Shuttle set for liftoff with 'glass cockpit'

The new cockpit provides graphical color displays. (Click for larger view)  

April 21, 2000
Web posted at: 1:16 p.m. EDT (1716 GMT)


In this story:

Space station losing altitude

Upgrades planned for entire fleet

RELATED STORIES, SITES icon



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
Cult 3-D model of the
Space shuttle Columbia

 
  MESSAGE BOARD
 

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

Atlantis on the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center. (Click for larger view)  

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.




RELATED STORIES:
Shuttle Atlantis cleared for Monday launch
April 18, 2000
Shuttle crew eager for ISS trip, despite equipment, training woes
March 27, 2000
Atlantis set for rollout to launch pad this week
March 20, 2000
Space - NASA assessing damage to shuttle antenna
March 7, 2000

RELATED SITES:
Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis (OV-104)
NASA Homepage

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