KSC-07pd3602
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, STS-122 Mission Specialist Rex Walheim heads for the plane for the return trip to Houston. The crew is flying back to Houston after launch of space shuttle Atlantis was delayed when a failure occurred in a fuel sensor system while the vehicle's external fuel tank was being filled. One of the four engine cutoff, or ECO, sensors inside the liquid hydrogen section of the tank gave a false reading and NASA's current Launch Commit Criteria require that all four sensors function properly. The sensor system is one of several that protect the shuttle's main engines by triggering their shut down if fuel runs unexpectedly low. Space shuttle Atlantis' STS-122 mission now is targeted to launch no earlier than Jan. 2. The liftoff date depends on the resolution of the problem in the fuel sensor system. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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Details
NASA ID
KSC-07pd3602
Date Created
December 9, 2007
Center
KSC
Media Type
image
Location
Kennedy Space Center, FL
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