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Shuttle launch a 'go' despite Alpha woes

Space shuttle Discovery
Space shuttle Discovery  


By Richard Stenger
CNN

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida (CNN) -- Despite a problem with a key computer on the international space station, the space shuttle Discovery will launch as planned on a trip to the orbiting outpost, NASA said Wednesday.

The NASA spacecraft, truly living up to its name, will shuttle a new crew to Alpha and return to Earth with the old one, which has been in orbit since the same shuttle -- Discovery -- delivered them to the space station in March.

Shuttle forecasters said there was a 60 percent chance that Florida's skies would be clear enough to permit liftoff, which is scheduled for Thursday at 5:38 p.m. EDT.

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One obstacle that will not hold up the launch is a glitch in one of three main computers used to control Alpha, NASA said.

The machine developed a problem with its hard drive early Wednesday. But mission managers decided to work around the problem by changing the machine's status to standby, said NASA spokesman Kyle Herring.

In other words, it has been demoted to third string on the automated command and control team. The three machines contain redundant systems and each can independently be used to manage the station.

The station's primary command and control computer continues to work normally.

Special delivery for Alpha

The current Alpha crew: Jim Voss, left, Yury Usachev, center, and Susan Helms
The current Alpha crew: Jim Voss, left, Yury Usachev, center, and Susan Helms  

The main goal for this shuttle mission is to deliver a relief crew for space station Alpha's current occupants: commander Yury Usachev and engineers Susan Helms and Jim Voss. They have spent the last few days packing personal items and equipment to bring home.

The trio was launched to Alpha aboard Discovery on March 8.

They will be replaced by commander Frank Culbertson and engineers Vladimir Nikolaevich Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin, the third crew for the space station.

The next Alpha crew: Commander Frank Culbertson, center, is flanked by cosmonauts Mikhail Tyurin, left and Vladimir Dezhurov
The next Alpha crew: Commander Frank Culbertson, center, is flanked by cosmonauts Mikhail Tyurin, left and Vladimir Dezhurov  

The shuttle crew includes commander Scott Horowitz, pilot Rick Sturckow, and mission specialists Patrick Forrester and Daniel Barry.

Forrester and Barry are slated to conduct two spacewalks to install equipment on the space station and ready it for future construction missions.

Discovery also will carry up the Leonardo multi-purpose logistics module, a huge container full of equipment, experiments and supplies for the space station.

The shuttle is scheduled to land back at Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday, August 21 at 1:17 p.m. EDT.






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