Promises, promises, but I should be, technical gremlins aside, be blogging live from the launch of STS-122 next week
The European Space Agency, whose Colombus laboratory module is being launched by STS-122, is highlighting NASA TV's mission briefing details for the 30 January
While there is still no official press release from NASA about the no earlier than launch date for the agency's Space Shuttle Atlantis NASASpaceflight.com has a few more details about the external tank (ET) testing and details about the status of orbiter Endeavour as it waits for the launch pad to become free for its STS-123 mission. I bet NASA wishes it hadn't transferred pad 39B to its Constellation programme now
Here you can find the 8 January Internatonal Space Station status report that includes a whole series of dates for flights to ISS later this year but now none of it is correct
While NASA frets about when Atlantis will go and its ET troubles the Russians are apparently planning to use the Energia Progress vehicle M-61 that undocked at the station on 22 December to conduct plasma environment experiments before it reenters the atmosphere and burns up on 22 January
And talking of Russians, my colleagues found this video about the alleged ISS cosmonaut vodka drinking live on Ukrainian television, which you may have seen elsewhere on the internet
I am hearing that in the next few days NASA will know if it needs to do another week of tanking tests to solve its external tank engine cut off sensor problems and that would mean no 24 January launch
While the 2 February has been bandied around as a Shutttle launch date this is not possible because the Russian Federal Space Agency Energia Progress M-63 is flying to the International Space Station on the 7th and NASA's Space Shuttle can't be docked to ISS when a Progress docks.
The docking impact would, so I am told, damage the Shuttle docking system. The same rule will apply with ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). No ATV docking when Shuttle is docked
To get an 8 February Shuttle launch the Russians could be persuaded to launch the Progress early, say the 5th, to ensure there was sufficient time between its 6 Feb ISS arrival and the Shuttle Atlantis' 10 Feb arrival for its 11-day STS-122 mission to attach ESA's Columbus laboratory module
Once Atlantis had left on 16 February for an 18 Feb landing ESA's ATV would be clear for its 22nd launch. In the meantime here are two pictures, care of Arianespace, of the ATV Jules Verne undergoing its fuelling operation at the Kourou, French Guinea spaceport
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